Items

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  2020-04-07

  There's Still Hope

  The picture was taken April 7, 2020, about a month into quarantine in Las Vegas, Nevada. This was a time when the only human interaction you would get is at grocery store when you were scrambling to get supplies for your home not knowing if you or a loved one could be the next victim of this pandemic. My household and I were scared, not knowing what to do besides stay quarantined in our home and not try to get tired of each other. We decided we wanted to change up our routine of just staying in the house, and drive down to get a view of the strip to see how it looked with no people. We drove by the electrified city with usually hundreds of people walking the streets partying, to only see the streets empty and all the buildings lights shut off. However, as we drove by the casinos and hotels by Aria Casino, there were two buildings with lights lit up in the shape of a heart. This showed me, despite all the trouble and heartache this pandemic has brought, there was still hope in our city. That one day we will overcome this pandemic together, and in the mean time we just need appreciate what we have, show our loved ones that we love them, and quarantine to help preserve the lives of others. The hearts gave me a sign of hope, that my family and I were not in this alone. *A picture taken by me driving down the strip.
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  2020-04-26

  We'll Meet Again

  During this tumultuous and stressful time of quarantining and attempting to manage COVID-19, there are a few things that have become apparent. First, as a society that has ceased to consider plagues as an imminent threat until recently, we have all taken human interaction for granted. The intimacy created by being in someone’s presence and experiencing their touch, smell, and energy is something we experienced every day before the quarantine began. Now, as people are locked away in their homes, we are all realizing that despite the technology at our fingertips, we cannot replicate those feelings. Video chatting, using social media platforms, calling, and texting are not substitutes for experiencing human connections face-to-face. Many couples and friends are unable to quarantine together, and because of that, they are missing out on the intimacy they used to have. We, as human beings, naturally crave human affection and love, and it can be quite difficult to communicate that when you must be so far apart. In addition, we have taken for granted the ability to go outside with virtually no fear of contracting a virus that could take away the lives of people around us, as well as ourselves. The ability to go outside and go to a park, admire nature, and walk around without a care in the world is gone. Art has always been an extremely significant aspect of life - it depicts history, emotions, imaginary places… Now, more than ever, art is an escape from the stressful reality that we face. It is also a means of bringing attention to the severity of the situation at hand. This piece represents the desire for intimacy of all forms that we experience when we are apart from the people that we love. It represents our connection with nature that has been taken away from us during quarantine. Eventually, this will all be over - in a few months, a year, or maybe even several years. But whenever it is, my friends, loved ones, and the beautiful aspects of nature that I miss so much - we’ll meet again.