What happens if you sign up for a street photography class in New York City, expecting to explore different neighborhoods during the approaching spring season, and you suddenly find yourself under stay-at-home orders in the epicenter of a pandemic? What if you are visiting New York from another country and find yourself thousands of miles away from your home and family?
This is what happened to the emerging photographers enrolled in Lawrence Wheatman’s Mastering the Art of Street Photography this semester. In a one-night virtual floor show on May 13th, the artists shared their experiences through photographs that document what they saw and express how they felt during these strange times. Whether looking from the outside in or the inside out, these images depict distance, loneliness, alienation, comfort, hope, and resilience. Scroll down to meet a few of the artists and see their work (click on thumbnail to enlarge image). You can also view a short video about the show here.
Beatriz Mergener
Artist, social justice advocate
“I work with image through photography and poetry, using mainly a 35mm film camera. My preferred subjects are everyday life and the uses of public space. I’m drawn to the human body and the way it moves, interacts and modifies its surroundings, especially the streets and other urban settings…. This show is about the loneliness/solitude of living and working in New York city as an immigrant, before and through the COVID-19 pandemic, and deciding to come back home to Brazil during this crisis.”
Jordan Smith
Urban Planner & Construction Manager, NYU Alumnus (Wager ’07)
“I am interested in exploring the relationship between people and the built environment, as well as interactions among people that take place in a dense, urban setting. The manner in which people react to the physical objects around them surprises and intrigues me, and I try to represent these elements as “characters” along with the people depicted in these pictures. Such interactions are generally depicted in unposed, candid photographs, which I believe show this relationship in the most authentic way. “
Susanne Muller
Adjunct faculty at NYU SPS, Executive Coaching and Global Consulting
“[My] inspiration was the mermaid and the Buddha at home. In difficult times we need something colorful and uplifting. Mermaids are sophisticated, mystical enjoying ‘la vida loca’ (the crazy life). The Buddha provides balance and inner strength.”
The Center for Applied Liberal Arts (CALA) would like to thank all the artists who participated in this semester’s class and show. Thank you for your dedication, persistence, and for sharing your creative work with all of us. Thank you to instructor Lawrence Wheatman for overseeing the class and the show.
CALA’s Photography & Studio Art Courses
Mastering the Art of Street Photography, Lawrence Wheatman
Beyond the Snapshot, Kay Kenny
Painting, Brian McCafferty
Introduction to Drawing, Meera Thompson