Artist's Statement

Experiences at Vieau

Over the course of 4 visits to the school of Vieau and taking part in their boys and girls club, I have been able to form relationships with many students and establish trust with them. Just by helping the kids with their homework allows me to get to know them and ask them questions. Their answers helped me to better understand what the school teaches, and strives to accomplish as well as learn a little about their home life and culture. After helping with their homework I was able get to know them as a person better throughout the rest of the day participating in activities that ranged from science projects to sports and games.

The camera was another type of “ice breaker” that helped me to get the kids to interact more and break down their trust barriers. When kids saw that I was taking pictures they ran to come be part of them, this made it hard for me to try and get the pictures that I needed where the kids were acting like normal. After the kids went back to playing around I was able to use the camera to capture the happiness. When looking at the images I realized how diverse the school was, as well as how much diversity didn’t matter there.

I decided that for my multimedia essay I was going to use my photos to work my way into the school, starting with the neighborhood and eventually getting to the kids. The amount of pictures I had was limited due to unexpected cancelations in scheduled timeslots, however, the pictures I had accomplished my goals. I start out with a picture of the neighborhood which is the first thing I saw during my first visit to the school. I then move onto the entry way of the school as well as posters and images found inside the building. I use these pictures to illustrate what the school its self is like, illustrating the schools goals of teaching equality and respect while maintaining the importance of holding on to culture. Finely I end with the kids and I use these photos to talk about my interactions with individuals and what I learned from them. I chose photos that reminded me most of what it was like there. I chose pictures that gave a sense that everyone was happy and comfortable around each other. Though I have only been to the school a handful of times, this project has given me a better idea of what I need for future multimedia projects and how I can expand my relationships with the kids.