6 minute read
When Social Distancing Becomes Art
Anne Sappenfield ’21, “Angel”
During this time of social distancing and sheltering in place, visual artists around the world are creating work in response to this new reality. Hotchkiss visual arts and photography students have joined in the movement, and their work offers an intimate portrait of their lives during their time away from Lakeville.
Around the world, the pandemic has disrupted the creative lives of millions of artists. During this period of social distancing and sheltering in place, visual artists are creating work that reflects this new reality. Hotchkiss visual arts and photography students have joined in the movement, and their work offers an intimate portrait of their lives during their time away from Lakeville.
J. Bradley Faus P’10, instructor in art and director of the art program, noted that the work of many of his portfolio students relates directly to sheltering in place, while other pieces speak to broader issues and concerns driven by the pandemic. Asher DuFord ’20’s sketches interpret social distancing in Morningside Park in Harlem, capturing afternoon shadows across an urban alleyway and the stark form of a fire escape.
“Intimate portraits” by Katharine Moore ’20 capture family members in repose and contemplation. Upper mid Anne Sappenfield’s collage with an angel-like figure offers hope and inspiration. The work of Nicole Morikawa ’21 shares expressive experience through images addressing complex aspects of emotional, physical, and social loss. Junsik Ryan Eom ’21 offers quiet and introspective paintings about home and hope for a better time and place. Finally, we are struck by a self-portrait by Grace Li ’20 confronting cultural bias and prejudice in response to the pandemic. “These works demonstrate the power art can offer us during these challenging times,” said Faus.
Greg Lock, instructor in photography and director of the photography, film and related media program, has been encouraging students to explore their own perceptions of the new reality.
“We asked students to document their immediate surroundings and the new living conditions they are encountering while they shelter in place. Some work is a personal reflection on family relationships, while some documents an intimate relationship between the authors and their physical surroundings. We ask students to recognize and then explore the oddity of their current situation,” Lock said.
Top: Grace Li ’21, “We’re people, not targets” Bottom: Nicole Morikawa ’21, “Restrictions of masculinity”
Top left: Katherine Moore ’20, “Brother” | Top right: Junsik Ryan ’21, “Interior” Bottom left: Grace Li ’21, “Figure at Dusk” | Bottom right: Nicole Morikawa ’21, “What it means to be a woman”
Clockwise from top left: Anaiz Robinson ’22; Gigi Day ’22, Jaysen Jensen ’20, Matthew Weinstein ’20, Federico Bentivoglio ’22, and Luke Johnson ’22
Clockwise from top left: Jiahua Chen ’20, Sadie Moulton ’22, Izhaar Rosa’22, and Peyton Wexler ’22
Stay In Touch and Informed
with our newly updated Hotchkiss Alumni app through Graduway!
During this time of global pandemic, we need to support and connect with each other now more than ever. For this reason, we’ve decided now is the perfect time to highlight and roll out the following new features on Alumnet:
DIRECTORY Find Hotchkiss alumni all in one place. Whether you’re looking to connect with an old classmate or looking for professional advice, the directory makes the Hotchkiss alumni network reachable at the click of a button.
FEED An interactive, personalized feed, designed with Hotchkiss alumni in mind.
GROUPS Create spaces for exclusive discussions, events, photos and more.
JOBS Your centralized area to post, or view, job opportunities and internships. Since this is a closed network consisting of only Hotchkiss alumni, the postings and applicants already come from a reliable source — fellow Bearcats! MENTORING An alumni-driven feature to drive connections, opportunities, and employment. Offer or seek to help make career connections, answer industryspecific questions, or simply chat. To make an even greater impact, offer or seek to mentor, review a resume, or identify an internship opportunity.
EVENTS During this pandemic, we are not hosting any in-person alumni events. As we adjust to scheduling virtual events, we will share that event information here. We look forward to the time when we can celebrate with you all in person again, and when that time comes you’ll find all our event information here, in one, easy-to-access place.
Join Alumnet today!
DOWNLOAD THE NEW APP USING THE INSTRUCTIONS BELOW:
FOR iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ graduway-community/id1457549791
Once you’ve installed the Graduway Community app, search for “Hotchkiss” in the organization field. That will bring you to the Hotchkiss Community.
FOR ANDROID: https://play.google.com/store/apps/ details?id=com.graduway.hotchkissalumnet
FOR WEB BROWSERS: https://hotchkissalumnet.org
For security reasons, your previous Hotchkiss Alumni App credentials have not been transferred to the new app. You can register as a new user by linking your Facebook, Google, or LinkedIn accounts or using your email and a password you create.
If you have any questions or trouble during the process, please email
Alumnet@hotchkiss.org
Pest House
This page taken from the 1904 Misch shows the construction of Huntress, the School’s first infirmary. Previously, students afflicted with scarlet fever during this time were housed in Cleaveland Cottage, which acquired the nickname of “Pest House.” In 2014, the cottage was renovated into a small girls’ dormitory and renamed the Baechle-Ayres House.
1970 1980 1945 1940 1990 2000 1950 1975 2005 1990 1985 1955 2000 1960 60 REUNIONS CLASSES ENDING IN 0 OR 5 65 Reunion Weekend, originally scheduled for June 12-14, 2020, has been rescheduled as follows:
OCTOBER 23–25, 2020 Classes of ’75, ’80, and ’85
JUNE 18–20, 2021 Classes ending in 1 or 6
We proactively made this decision to postpone Reunion Weekend to ensure the safety of alumni and families, as well as the safety of our Lakeville community.
With that in mind, there are still many unknowns, and this schedule may need to change. We will continue to monitor the ever-changing landscape of this crisis and, with guidance from the State of CT and CDC, make whatever decision is in the best interest of our entire community.
We thank you for your patience and understanding!
Visit www.hotchkiss.org/alumni (Events & Reunions) for updates
For more information, please contact Rachel Schroeder Rodgers ’09, Assistant Director of Alumni Relations, at (860) 435-3124 or rrodgers@hotchkiss.org.
