I created an art exhibition in the campus Bookstore in Spring 2017. I raised $400.00 from the CUNY Foundation to pay for printing and framing costs so that the artist — a student in my 1121 course, Maxwell Rosario — could afford to have his first-ever photography show. With the help of students from all three of my English Comp courses, we ideated, promoted, and hung the show, turning it from just an idea we all shot off our mouths about during Office Hours into a reality!
Visitors to the Bookstore (students, mostly) were invited to comment on the photographs with colorful PostIt Notes, creating a visual dialogue that went beyond the still photos.
(All above photos are Courtesy of Maxwell Rosario.)
Below are some installation shots of how the students arranged the images:
Rosario likes to photograph his urban surround, and we encouraged students to respond with their own experiences via PostIt Notes.
The students who most contributed to work on the exhibit decided to create their own Club. The artist allowed them to sign his photographs as a form of collaboration. They also signed their names on a separate Club sheet in silver on black.
One student, Chris Mabra, who was in my 1101 LC in Fall of 2016 told us about his Fashion Design Concept and we dubbed it “Sinister Fashion.” We printed two of his photo as well. He further embellished the photos with drawing in white marker. Other students used these glass markers on the windows of the Bookstore to create a display that was visible from the street.
This image shows my overdue library book “The Rose That Grew From Concrete” by Tupac Shakur. This journal was written when Shakur was 19 — the same age as Rosario. Ironically, it appears over a display of the books I used later in my Remedial Reading Course (ENG 922R) over the following Summer II Session.
