2 minute read
Growth & Nature for the Media Arts YES Teens
Teens in the Youth Exploring Science (YES) Program's Media Arts component worked on a photo shoot in late 2022 and wrote their first artist statements to accompany their pieces, a useful skill to accompany their media arts training. The photos focus on the themes of growth and nature, and the artist statements show the variety of ways the YES Teens interpreted those themes.
The students were able to enjoy themselves, be creative and get their hands dirty as they collaborated on designing their shoots. Media Arts component manager Jasmine Krueger enthused, “I loved seeing the Teens get messy in the studio. They tore up plants, poured out jars of dirt and dug through bins of fabric to capture their images. Everyone in the studio had a smile on their faces; the energy was truly amazing.”
Krueger went on to explain that most of the photos were taken by one YES Teen photographer while another lit the shot. They also gave each other suggestions and feedback along the way. “I loved seeing how quick they were to help each other; it was a great show of teamwork and collaboration.”
Harmony Cooper included a snake named Jupiter among a setting of flowers and lab goggles to represent the nature lessons available at the Science Center.
Deron Gipson used the lab goggles, roses and marbles to create eyes inside the goggles, and said he focused on the idea of giving inanimate objects life.
Walter Dunlap challenged himself by trying to take a still photo of an active dog named Lulu.
Zionna Anderson focused on contrasting the bright colors of flowers with the white background achieved by putting the flowers in milk.
Kayden Ramsay-Alexander photographed a ruler, surrounded by flowers and sticking out of a small pile of dirt, to symbolize the idea of a child’s growth.
