About Us

We are the juniors in the Academy of Design at the Morris County School of Technology in Denville, New Jersey. Our Looking Ahead exhibit has been crafted around the stories of immigrants of the past and present in order to show the impact the United States has had on countless lives.

In order to submerge ourselves in the idea of new hope and freedom, we had the opportunity to speak to six immigrants, each with their own stories and backgrounds. This led us to learn what commonalities are present in each individual while also discovering what makes everyone different. It was clear to us that the art we make should represent immigration as a feeling, not just a story.

As a class, we designed three large window panels, seven coats, and a copper crown to be incorporated into the space given to us at Ellis Island. We created this exhibition to translate the lessons we learned from speaking to immigrants into interpretive art.

Along with the opportunity to learn about the lives of immigrants directly, we were also given the chance to work with Local Learning, a group that helps connect folk-life, artists, and educators to build strong and understanding communities and transform learning. This gave us the foundation we needed to grasp a project of such importance and depth. The Carpentry, Plumbing, and Welding Programs at MCST, as well as the Academy of Design freshmen and sophomores, offered their skills and ideas needed to produce this exhibit.