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| Cork, Ireland Taken by Esther Woo |
Artist Statement
I found myself in a classroom full of 3rd graders
recently. As I worked with the students at this charter school, there was a
specific student that caught my attention. The image of a happy little boy was
what was presented before us every day at school. As time progressed, I learned
about his difficult upbringings. From having a single parent to being the
youngest in the family of four, I was heartbroken. Every week, I would go home
wondering why a little boy like him would have a glass of milk as for only meal
for the day, or how there was no one at home that could teach him how to read.
Where was the support he needed to survive in school?
Quality education is a constitutional right in the United
States. However, the current system has been corrupted to continue to oppress
people of color and immigrants specifically. As a future educator, I am drawn
to this topic. As an aspiring photographer, I hope to capture the disparities
in the education system through photographs. I attempt to capture a narrative.
By focusing on students primarily, a picture often times shows an innocent, happy,
and energetic young child but as you dig deeper, you learn about their
background.
A project I would like to work on would include capturing
the education system in Ireland through the eyes of the products, college
students and adults primarily. I hope that my audience would reflect on their
experiences in the school system and compare it with the experiences presented
before them. I would like to be able to provide insight into the narrative that
isn’t commonly voiced.
Statement of Resistance
I believe that everyone should be able to receive an
education regardless of their race, gender, social economic status, or
citizenship. I hope to showcase the products of the education system since it
will evoke a conversation regarding the disparities between the numerous school
systems. I want to focus primarily on the voices less heard, often people of
color. The diversity displayed in schools are to be celebrated and reflected in
the curriculum so that we as mankind can all be educated.
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