Camille Terrell 2020

My sustained investigation was based on my college essay. They are both based on my experiences growing up as a black girl. Each piece is based on an event or incident that I have had and things that have happened in the media or history. A personal example would be #7, which symbolizes people asking to touch my hair because of it’s different texture. An example from media is #6, based on the multiple black woman who won pageants in 2019 for the first time. #4 is one about self-worth in a judgmental society. #5 is based on the paper bag test used in 20th century Hollywood to decide if actors were "light enough" to act.

The process of experimentation and revision was not easy; I struggled a lot with how to create a voice for my art. The process led me to a lot of research and self reflection. The media played a large role in my work, such as #10, based on the recent shooting of Ahmaud Arbery. I wanted to honor his name, while also giving a message and being respectful. #9 speaks for all the men and women wrongly accused as criminals because of their skin color. Each draft of my photos was met by another round of questioning on what could be better and have a louder voice.

SELECTED WORKS:

More student work: https://sites.google.com/student.region16ct.org/camille-portfolio/home