Not so Hot Potato

This is the Not So Hot Potato. She is sad because her eyes disappeared in photoshop... They were fruit so I think somebody ate them. She wears purple eye liner to cover up her missing blueberry eyes, and is trying to raise enough funds to purchase new ones on the Mr. and Mrs. Potatohead black market as they are hard to come by. She is thinking about purchasing insurance on her carrot nose just in case the mean photoshop thief decides to return. For now she is going to rock her purple and pink chic! 

Construction Deconstructed

If you live in New York City you know that it is constantly under construction. Roads always need fixing, "improvements" are always being started and sometimes it seems the projects are never finished. .. ie the second avenue subway line etc. You know that one building you always pass by that seems to be under never ending construction and repair? Of course you do.  Hunter College might even be one of those buildings... If you really stop and take a look, Hunter has many construction projects going on all around it. Some of these projects are Hunter sponsored and others aren't even Hunter related at all. The goal of our photo assignment was to stop and take a look at the projects going on all around us.

Stamp Art!

Haylee, now 21 was born with Cerebral Palsy, for her this is only a physical condition and has not affected her  mental abilities. She was cared for by her grandfather but when he was too old to give her the care she required due to her physical disability the state of Alabama only had funding to put her in a nursing home, she was 21 years old and living in a nursing home with senior citizens. Recently, she was invited to live with a couple Judson and Donna Emens, who new her when she was a child, as Donna was her social worker in her head start program. The Emens hear that Haylee was living in a nursing home and decided that wouldn't due; they are currently in the process of adopting Haylee and Haylee calls them Mom and Dad. Haylee's law is a law that would require the state of Alabama to provide services for people over the age of 21 with physical disabilities not just for people with mental disabilities. Although Haylee's story has a happy fresh start there are so many Haylee's who do not get the same chance, Haylee plans on going to college in the near future but with out the Emens help, the way the law currently stands she would be sitting in a nursing home playing bingo instead of pursuing her dreams. See Video from NBC's Nightly News, and Huffington Post article at this link http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/10/haylee-cain-21-year-old-w_n_677203.html

Artist Statement

            My name is Ariana and I grew up where I didn’t fit in. My values were different than many of those around me and I felt that there was many times in which I was not given the opportunity to show my true self. In living in Manhattan I find myself in a world of “true self’s”, of course there will always be those who pretended to be someone they are not, but that is the beauty of it. One can be whomever they choose to be, naturally are, or wish they were. The people of New York make up one priceless work of art. There are pieces which we would never wish to purchase, those we wish we could have, and those who clutter up our tiny apartments but we can’t manage or really don’t want to get rid of. My art is not just about New York, it is about the values of New York, whether it takes place in the city or not. I believe in showing people things they may have once looked over and allowing them to decide whether or not they would like to keep looking. My hope is to one day produce documentaries that shed light on not only problems, social, economic and otherwise but also on those involved in the process of solution big and small.  I'd love to one day document street performers, as I'd like to know and would like others to know more about the life behind the performer, the human being removed from their art as well as what inspires their art.
The following is not a video that I took personally but I often see this performer, an older man performing in the 42nd Street Subway station specifically near the ACE lines. Apparently others are taking notice as wel.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZl7HvDuKTk&feature=related

UPDATE! The performer I posted above is named Danny Small! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DSXUcVK-QA&feature=related