On January 17th, student photographers Coco Chen ‘24, Eric Li ‘24, and James Madonia ‘24 earned spots in the University of the Arts’ latest exhibit, A Sense of Place. They are part of 36 students across four high schools across the East Coast (including one in Canada) who earned a spot in the gallery show – which makes for a lot of photos!! The exhibit will showcase 42 photos when it opens in April.
On their work:
“I was traveling in a new country and soaking in new things I was seeing, like the architecture and the people,” Li said, “Most of my photos are just documenting interesting scenes I see and I usually don’t try to convey personal emotion through them, especially because I don’t really control what is in a scene. I think people should be free to interpret my pictures in whatever way they want and inject their own emotions into it,” said Li.
His winning submission, In My World, was taken in on a Westtown trip to Portugal, when he stayed behind to explore the city with T. Leslie Barr while the rest of the group went on a boat trip.
Li has been taking photos since before the pandemic, and continues to do so. He is currently doing so for Westtown’s Communications Department as well as Amicus, the yearbook club. You can find his work on his website, or on his Instagram.
Chen’s winning photo, entitled Till the End, was taken during last year’s senior lacrosse game. Chen declined to comment further.
Madonia’s winning photos, entitled Lost and Return, were both taken on a college road trip with his dad. Return was taken early during the trip, featuring his father coming out of a rest stop in Connecticut. To take Lost, James stood halfway out of the sunroof of his car to take a picture of a bridge on the way back from New York City. You can find more of his work on his Instagram. ALSO, give a follow to his band’s Instagram while you’re at it! They have a new album coming out in the next few months.
Shannon Moriarty, director of the photography program at Westtown as well as an advisor to Amicus, urges students to be active in the arts.
“There’s so many things going on at Westtown all the time,” Moriarty exclaims. “Keep your ear to the ground! Ask questions! There’s always something happening.” And if you’re already an artist or otherwise involved in the art scene, she says that “collaboration is one of the cornerstones of being an artist – celebrating other people doing dope things is important.”
