Whether it’s values, customs or even mannerism, culture often plays a big role in defining who we are. For some students at Lane such as Belinda Calle, there is a strong connection towards these cultural roots.
Calle’s Ecuadorian cultural traditions and values, along with the emphasis on family and community, shaped who she is today.
The Culture We Carry is an art competition hosted by the Art Institute meant to be a way to showcase the diverse cultures seen throughout Chicago. While the theme is to express what your culture means to you, this broad subject allows for an open interpretation, calling for a variety of ways to express one’s culture, and allows for the creation of a variety of art work. Whether through calligraphy, photography or collages, it left open various ways to express one’s culture.
“It’s really a call for us to recognize and appreciate our individuality, while also fostering a sense of unity and belonging in a very diverse world we live in,” Calle said. She believes the purpose of the contest is to celebrate what makes one unique and to give a voice to those who might not have one.. “Through my work, I wanted to give voice and life to aspects of my identity and culture that I personally feel aren’t always seen or acknowledged”
Kelly Novak, an honors photography and AP 2-D Art teacher, described this process as one that can prepare students for the future. While submission to this contest wasn’t required by Lane teachers, it was heavily encouraged according to Novak, not only to help students look better on their college applications, but to also guide some underclassmen through the application process itself.
“Not only does it help them when they go to apply for colleges, having additional lines on their resume, but it also kind of prepares them for the process of applying for colleges or jobs in the future because you have to go through a required list of steps, you have to prepare your images to them be submitted to slide room or things of that nature,” Novak said.
For some, this exhibit is also an outlet for expression.
“So in the first semester for AP, I have them go through assignments where they are interpreting multiple outcomes and their intention is to bring aspects of their own personal identity, aspects of their own personal frustrations and aspects of their sort of versions of life that aren’t necessarily seen,” Novak said.
Amy Diamond, an honors digital imaging teacher, described the variety of these different cultural perspectives.
“A lot of students who participated in it seemed to have photographed their own environment and the people that are around and near them and they interpreted that in a lot of different ways, ” Diamond said.
Senior David Bolotin chose to use this contest as a way to express the internal struggles immigrants face due to their culture.
“The message I was trying to display through my art was that though many immigrants face internal struggles due to the cultures they come from, we are powerful,” Boltin said. “We can be resilient. And with the culture we carry on our shoulders, we can be strong individuals, especially in a country like the United States–even if immigrants are often looked down upon and shunned. ”
Calle, on the other hand, used this cultural theme as a way to express the uniqueness of her Ecuadorian culture.
“It was really important for me to create something that reflected my personal experiences and the richness of my own heritage, while also showing off the uniqueness of my perspective,” Calle said, choosing to display these differences with photography.
This contest was also a way to bring diversity to Chicago, a city that still remains fairly segregated. According to WTTW.com, Chicago’s segregation still remains intact, joining the list of some other major cities that still experience racial division as seen through our existent ethnic enclaves.
However this particular exhibition may have stood as a way to bring together the diverse cultures seen throughout the city.
“The thing that stood out to me the most is you often hear diversity used as like a catchword, a catchphrase,” Novak said “And then you don’t see it in the output. But when I looked at every image on the wall, it felt like a reflection of Chicago. It felt like a reflection of not only the students here, but across the city. And it felt like a reflection of all the things that make their lives important. Not a dictation of what should be important.”
