Items

• 
  2020

  VART 3030 Fordam University, email of assignment prompt

  Email from Casey Ruble, an instructor at Fordham University, VART 3030. Asked students to "familiarize themself with the archive and begin posting images etc. of their observances of the world around them." Students submitted to archive during the Spring semester 2020
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  2020-10-05

  Senior Year in NYC: The Monumental Moments - You Made It!

  COVID-19 has hurt all students’ worlds by cutting into and diminishing experiences and traditions;we saw the Class of 2020 lose out on formal graduation ceremonies and now the Class of 2021 has started the year in a frenzy of masks and toasts to hoping for a normal ceremony by May 2021. **Fordham University, SOCI2200
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  2020-10-31

  Senior Year in NYC: The Monumental Moments - Halloween Shenanigans

  The costumes weren’t the only thing that made this Halloween spooky, the fact that trick or treating was a no-go and bars required you to sit, eat and wear a mask. **Fordham University, SOCI2200
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  2020-08-27

  Senior Year in NYC: The Monumental Moments - Welcome Freshman!

  COVID-19 has helped to remind us that the little things matter in life, especially around a college campus. Showing a freshman to their dorm room or to where they may grab a bite to eat and have classes is nothing short of important. We are all jumping with joy here because even with a worldwide pandemic we could continue to enjoy making a difference in the new student’s lives at our university **Fordham University, SOCIO 2200
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  2020-10-05

  Senior Year in NYC: The Monumental Moments - Time Flies By

  My friends toasting to senior year. Our time flew from beginning in the small, compact freshman dorms to needing to find a reason every day to get on campus because classes are fully-online for our senior year. How did we make it this far? **Fordham University, SOCI2200
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  2020-12-07

  Senior Year in NYC: The Monumental Moments - Exploring the Met

  You’d imagine there would be nothing to do in a large city filled with millions of people during a pandemic, but NYC worked harder than ever to open indoor dining and allow for 25% capacity in the amazing museums. Here, I’m exploring the “Making the MET” gallery at the Metropolitan Museum in upper Manhattan. **Fordham University, SOCI2200
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  2020-08-29

  Senior Year in NYC: The Monumental Moments - Welcome to College!

  Our orientation leaders enjoyed a nice formal gathering (safely) after they spent a week preparing and welcoming our incoming freshman class (Class of 2024). They are so excited to represent their school and still live a somewhat normal college life celebrating their achievements. **Fordham University, SOCI2200
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  2020-11-15

  Senior Year in NYC: The Monumental Moments - After A Night Out

  Imagine...after a nice socially-distanced night out on the town, walking to your favorite late night snack joint with all your pals. **Fordham University, SOCI2200
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  2020-12-03

  Connecting Past COVID-19: #3

  When this professor’s students hold up signs for him on camera in their Zoom classroom, he is more excited to see their faces for the first time after they had kept their cameras off all semester.
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  2020-12-04

  Connecting Past COVID-19: #2

  The professor of this class is not sure whether her students’ cameras are off intentionally or if she had made a mistake. She is subsequently surprised by her students holding “We love you” signs, saying she loves them back and asking to take a screenshot.
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  2020-07

  Finding Beauty in a COVID World: Colorado Landscapes

  These are all images from our drive through Colorado. The first two images are a landscape scene and a photo of a mountain goat from Independence Pass, a mountain pass in Colorado that is only open in the warmer months because it gets very treacherous in the winter. It was still quite scary when we went in July, but the views were breathtaking. The last photo is from the Colorado Monument. We chose to drive up to experience it, as there were a lot of people there without masks and we felt safest in the car. All of these photos were taken from the safety and comfort of our car.
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  2020-05

  Finding Beauty in a COVID World: New York Sunset with a Mask

  This image captures a raw New York COVID moment. This is on a roof in Washington Heights with a gorgeous view of the George Washington bridge. We asked a masked stranger to take this photo and immediately sanitized the phone afterwards.
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  2020-07

  Finding Beauty in a COVID World: Rainbow in an Open Landscape

  On our roadtrip driving into Kansas from Colorado, we experienced this beautiful rainbow from so many different angles as we were driving through. At first it wasn’t even a complete rainbow; it was only half a rainbow peaking through the mountains. As we drove further through the open landscape, it transformed into a full rainbow extending over this gorgeous view and even a double rainbow.
• 
  2020-06

  Finding Beauty in a COVID World: Running Alongside the Locked Up Botanical Garden

  The New York Botanical Garden happens to be near where I reside in the Bronx. Every summer and spring my friends and I plan a few trips to this lovely place to experience all of the natural beauty of the garden. However, this year however, the “Botans,” as we like to call it, was closed for the entirety of the spring and a large chunk of summer due to the pandemic. I believe they are just now, in early August, starting to open with limited capacity. I decided to capture this photo on my run to illustrate how the garden’s beauty is able to penetrate the surrounding community even from outside the gates. You can see the lavender peeking up over the gate and we were able to take a look inside through the openings of the fence to appreciate the park’s beauty. My mask reads “New York Strong.”
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  2020-07

  Finding Beauty in a COVID World: Rabbit in the Grass

  There were so many rabbits living around the place where we were staying in Salt Lake. My dog loved to chase them around the yard. I finally captured one sitting right in front of some flowers and knew I had to share this image. Nature is truly beautiful.
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  2020-07

  Finding Beauty in a COVID World: Dog Lake Hike, Salt Lake City, UT

  In mid-July we decided to travel to Salt Lake City to visit family. Downtown SLC was pretty shut down due to the pandemic so we chose to find some outdoor activities that we could participate in while still remaining safe. These two images are from a beautiful hike we did called “Dog Lake,” a dog friendly hike with a lake (shown in picture 2) for the dogs to go cool off in before heading back down the mountain.
• 2020-07

  Finding Beauty in a COVID World

  In this series my goal was to share how I found beauty this summer, despite everything happening right now in the United States. This collection of photos serves as a reminder for me that although things are not normal and probably won't be for a long time, there is such immense beauty that exists in this world. If it weren't for COVID and losing my job I would not have experienced many of these moments that I captured in these pictures. Perhaps the silver lining of COVID is that for a lot of us, it has forced us to literally sit back and reflect and these photos illustrate the "COVID-friendly" activities I chose to do this summer with all my free time. Some of these photos are some scenic landscapes in NYC, where I live. The rest of these images are from various scenic places throughout the country, mostly in the West, where I began my road trip back to New York City a few weeks ago.
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  2020-07

  Political Activism in the Midst of a Pandemic: BLM Billboard in Utah

  Seen while driving out of Salt Lake City. This image really showcases what political activism can look like during a pandemic. It takes many, many forms but I really liked this form because it truly stood out to me and everyone on the road against this empty landscape.
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  2020-06

  Political Activism in the Midst of a Pandemic: BLM March Columbus Circle

  A Black Lives Matter Protest is disbanded early due to the city curfew. I left this particular protest at 7pm to get home by 8pm but many people chose to stay. The NYPD started mass arresting groups of people who were out protesting after curfew.
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  2020-06

  Political Activism in the Midst of a Pandemic: Fordham Neighborhood Clean-Up

  People gather on Fordham Road after the night of the looting to clean up the streets. It was amazing to see how many people were eager to get involved and help to clean up our neighborhood. I arrived at noon to help and there was barely anything left to do. This truly shows how much can be accomplished when everyone comes together and lends a hand.
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  2020-06

  Political Activism in the Midst of a Pandemic: Aftermath of the Looting in the Bronx

  I took this particular photo because I found it interesting that these already struggling, local shops were looted and were tied to the protests by the media. I did not feel as though these specific actions were tied to the protests however, I do see looting as a valid form of protest when they are targeting big/chain brands and businesses. It was sad to see my neighborhood in this condition. These photos were taken in early June 2020.
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  2020-06

  Political Activism in the Midst of a Pandemic: Empty City Street After Curfew

  This was taken while I was staying in Manhattan for the protests. I went outside at around 11pm to walk my dog but since De Blasio made the curfew 8pm, it had already been three hours past curfew. I had never seen my city so empty at 11pm; it was shocking. There were NYPD officers standing on every corner monitoring the streets to make sure no one was out. If I hadn’t felt trapped inside before because of quarantine and COVID, I definitely felt trapped now.
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  2020-06

  Political Activism in the Midst of a Pandemic: Curfew is Moved to 8pm

  On June 2nd, Mayor De Blasio changed the already established curfew from 11pm-5am to 8pm-5am. This was a very historical moment in New York, as there has never been any curfew enforced on the city in my lifetime and 8pm seemed very early. I worried for essential workers and anyone who had to rely on public transportation to get home for work, as they were arresting people who were out after 8pm if they did not have a valid excuse or explanation. Photo retrieved from the New York Times.
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  2020-04-03

  Emptiness Around Us: Empty Aisle

  A whole row of empty shelves at Target in Niskayuna, NY in early April. This shelf is normally fully stocked with toilet paper, flushable wipes, paper towels, and facial tissue.
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  2020-04-19

  Emptiness Around Us: Empty Plaza

  The U.S. and New York State flags flying at half-mast in at the Empire State Plaza in Downtown Albany, NY in late April, after Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered all flags to be flown at half-mast in honor of all who have died from COVID-19. The New York State Museum is seen straight ahead centered between the two flags.
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  2020-04-03

  Emptiness Around Us: Empty Shelf

  A scarcely stocked shelf of soap at Target in Niskayuna, NY in early April. The shelf here is normally fully stocked with hand soap. The note explains a purchase limit of 1 soap bottle per guest.
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  2020-04-03

  Emptiness Around Us: Empty Ledge

  An empty shelf at Target in Niskayuna, NY in early April. The shelf here is normally fully stocked with toilet paper, flushable wipes, and facial tissue. The note explains a purchase limit of 1 product per guest, although there was none to be had in the store.
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  2020-04-03

  Emptiness Around Us: Empty Rows

  A few shelves of boxed macaroni and cheese at Target in Niskayuna, NY in early April and a note limiting the amount one dry good per customer. Normally, these shelves are fully stocked.
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  2020-04-19

  Emptiness Around Us: Empty Park

  Taken at Washington Park in Albany, NY in late April. The sign notes that these swings are closed and cannot be used due to COVID-19. All other playgrounds and equipment in the park were closed and had similar signage.
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  2020-04-19

  Emptiness Around Us: Empty Street

  Down an empty State Street in Downtown Albany, NY in late April. This photo was taken standing in the middle of the street, which normally would not be possible as this street is usually busy and packed with cars. The SUNY Central Administration building is seen straight ahead in the distance.
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  2020-04-19

  Emptiness Around Us: Empty Bus

  A CDTA bus pulling up to a bus stop on State Street in Downtown Albany, NY in late April. All riders were required to wear masks, and there were barely any riders on the bus. Its electronic sign reads, “STOP THE SPREAD.”
• 2020-08-10

  Emptiness Around Us

  The month of April found me back in my parents home in a suburb of Albany, NY. My university was closed, and I was forced to move out of my on-campus housing a month earlier. All of my classes continues online, and my film photography class was required to move to a digital photography platform as we were not allowed access to our university’s darkroom to develop our film. I found myself wondering how to find subject matter amidst a global pandemic, where at the time grocery stores were just about the only places open, in what I considered to be the most boring small town in America. After weeks of submitting photo after photo of my backyard, house, dogs, and siblings, my professor asked me to try and find a new subject for my photos. I really had no idea what else to photograph, but on a trip to Target for groceries with my mother, I found myself wandering through row after row of bare, colorless shelves. I took a photo of this to send to my father, proving that there was not a roll of toilet paper to be had, but then thought about how interesting it could be to document the rows and rows of desolate shelves, leading me to a new subject for my photography class assignments: emptiness. I moved from documenting empty shelves, to empty parks, to empty streets. Emptiness was a subject I could find nearly everywhere I looked during the coronavirus pandemic. Looking back on these photos a few months later, I am so glad I was able to use an art form I love to document what life was like during this strange and scary time in our world. I hope that years from now, my photos could help someone have some idea of how empty our world truly felt during this time.
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  2020-07

  Finding Beauty in a COVID World

  I thought I would upload these photos to share how I found beauty this summer despite everything happening right now in the US. It serves as a reminder that although things are not normal and probably won't be for a long time, there is such immense beauty that exists in this world. If it weren't for COVID and losing my job I would not have experienced many of these moments that I captured in these pictures. Perhaps the silver lining of COVID is that for a lot of us, it has forced us to literally sit back and reflect and these photos illustrate the "COVID -friendly" activities I chose to do this summer with all my free time. Some of these photos are some scenic landscapes in NYC, where I live. The rest of these images are from various scenic places throughout the country, mostly in the west, where I began my roadtrip back to NYC a few weeks ago.
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  2020-05-12

  Liminal

  When trying to remember the year, I think of the last few weeks before we left. There was something in the air that made this semester — this particular semester — feel like the end. And so, maybe we laughed harder and louder than we did before. And we cried so much more and we tried to do what we could to enjoy ourselves — to hold onto what we had left. And we had dance parties and dinner parties that made us feel alive and supported — no one was alone. Although we’ll be back at some point, it will feel like starting over again. And maybe that’s good, maybe that’s necessary. And maybe we’ll come back and say, “Hey, it’s nice to meet ya! My name is ...” because things have changed. We all will have changed. But maybe, just maybe, it will be better than before.
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  2020-05-12

  Sequestration

  The intention of my short film “Sequestration” is to serve as an atmospheric piece that reflects the fears of our current reality. I aimed to achieve a sense of uneasiness in this film through the audio and visuals captured in my own neighborhood in South Florida. The unusual emptiness resulting from the circumstances of COVID-19 inspired me to play off of the themes of loneliness and isolation when capturing footage. Despite the dark nature of this film, I really enjoyed making it and it served as a great stress reliever amidst the coronavirus pandemic. I think it is important to take advantage of the therapeutic effects that creating art can offer us in these difficult times.
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  2020-05-12

  Remnants of Normalcy

  When quarantining started, I had mixed feelings about not attending school or work, not seeing my small circle of friends, and not getting to take mini explorations out in the city. I'm an introvert who dies to get out of the house. The house I've lived in for my entire life has brimmed with tension and toxicity in recent years. Outside is where I've found my peace and my place in the world. School is my space to grow as an artist, to tap into my capabilities, and to be - or at least find - myself. My job is my step into independence and my career as a filmmaker. My friends are my soul connections, they breathe life into me with their jokes and smiles. My lone adventures around New York City remind me that the world is enormous, full of energy and life, and I can end up wherever I choose. These elements of my life give me the confidence and hope I need for the future. I appreciate these moments dearly. This short film speaks to all of that.
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  2020-05-12

  News From Inside

  A story about what’s home, about what the feelings of a home are for me. Two very different spaces that were protagonist in my own personal journey through the pandemic. A film diary, an intimate account of what now are images of memories that don’t even feel real.
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  2020-05-12

  This Is Not Normal

  A meditation on the uncertainty and absurdity of the pandemic through the eyes of a college senior.
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  2020-05-15

  Dawn

  I can't sleep past 5:30 these mornings. So I roam my house in the quietude, waiting for the sun to come up and animate the static space. Like many artist I'm trying to use my living space (which I'm fortunate to have) as studio, set, character.
• 

  Six Feet Or More

  Walking through Brooklyn Bridge Park I tried to stay as far away from other people as I could. This woman and I did a sort of dance; each avoiding each other. Finally we both ended up on the water
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  2020-04-01

  Chinatown, NYC April 1, 2020 7:37 AM

  I drove over one morning to shoot a final roll of 120 film before dropping off 10 rolls at my newly re opened lab. I kept trying to photograph absence. It's gone from one of the densely populated areas of NYC to one of the most vacuous.
• 
  2020-03-28

  Trash Can

  Each day during the height of the horror of living in the epicenter I'd allow myself 1 walk, strategically timed to avoid as many people as possible. No matter how abstract the imagery the pandemic seems to intrude, in this photograph in the from of an out of focus figure in a mask.
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  2020-04-01

  EMPTINESS

  After searching through the news, I came across an article titled “Can City Life Survive Coronavirus”. Although I was planning to avoid using a coronavirus related image, this image resonated with me as it depicted a crowded city nearly deserted. Seeing these images reminded me of the current state the world is in. I wanted to focus on the emptiness and loneliness we feel as we are social distancing ourselves indoors. I chose to use mostly greys and blues in order to convey this emotion. I added clouds in the sky and a distant crowd to add to the overall dark and lonely mood. The crowd also reminds me of how city life used to be. Finally, I added some individuals in hazmat suits to also convey the severity of this whole situation. #FordhamUniversity #VART1135 *Andrea Mantovani for The New York Times. Teddy Stratis for manipulation, color rendering, and overall graphic design. *Teddy Stratis, Fordham University, VART1135 *This is an art piece I created during my Visual Thinking class at Fordham University with professor Sheehan. This project was about how color affects us emotionally, and also how the properties of color can be used to render things invisible, or on the contrary, to distract our gaze, create interference, affect interpretation. I took an image from a news article that resonated with me and manipulated to express more emotion. I choose to use an image from a New York Times article titled "Can City Life Survive Coronavirus?".
• 
  04/30/2020

  The Impact of Virtual Story Time During Coronavirus Stay-at-Home Orders: "Why We Stay at Home" Book for Children About Coronavirus

  A woman uses her YouTube channel dedicated to virtual story time to read aloud a book about Coronavirus written by two doctors who hope to help kids understand why it's important that they stay home during this time. Fordham University, SOCI 2800
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  04/19/2020

  The Impact of Virtual Story Time During Coronavirus Stay-at-Home Orders: Michelle Obama Hosts A Weekly Virtual Story Time For Kids

  Michelle Obama works with PBS Kids to virtually read aloud a popular story book to kids once a week for a month. Fordham University, SOCI 2800
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  04/20/2020

  The Impact of Virtual Story Time During Coronavirus Stay-at-Home Orders: Oakland Teacher Hosts Virtual Story Time for First Grade Students

  A first grade teacher hosts a virtual story time for his students while they can't be together. Fordham University, SOCI 2800
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  03/20/2020

  The Impact of Virtual Story Time During Coronavirus Stay-at- Home Orders: Teacher Takes Story Time Online With the Help of Her Daughter

  A California teacher and her young daughter film story time for her students. Fordham University, SOCI 2800
• 
  05/19/2020

  All the hoops are down

  The parks department took down the basketball hoops in SOME parks. *Lystria Hurley, Fordham University '09
• 
  2020-05-19

  Ms. Mindy gives food to the community

  Ms. Mindy, a community organizer, hands out food she received from the Community board office, to the community. *Lystria Hurley, Fordham University '09
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  05/19/2020

  Does the fish stink?

  My sister buying fish at the market. If one looks at this photo, one would think they are covering their face because of the stinky fish not COVID 19. *Lystria Hurley, Fordham University