Join us for a meet the artists reception for the first ever Quabbin Art Association's New Artists—New Perspectives exhibit at Northampton Center for the Arts (NOHO Arts), 33 Hawley Street, Northampton, Friday, December 13 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. This exhibit, in partnership with NOHO Arts and the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC), will feature 19 up-and-coming artists from nine Pioneer Valley colleges, community colleges and universities. As part of the New Artists—New Perspectives project, each artist receives a two-year membership to the Quabbin Art Association and a $250 cash stipend to support the development of their artwork courtesy of MCC and many generous QAA donors.
Cynthia Erivo
Rhaymi's artist statement for the exhibit: My work combines charcoal, acrylic paint, and photography to express my emotional intensity. I first sketch, usually a rough gesture drawing, and then add layers on top of the sketch. Charcoal allows me to delve into the raw qualities of art, while acrylic paint brings vibrant layers of color and energy into the composition. I believe my photographs successfully capture a similar emotional feeling to my drawings, with the use of passionate shadows and a realistic sense of sophistication.
Maam
Photography, with its ability to freeze time, becomes a way to preserve fleeting emotions—those fragile, transient moments that can slip away unnoticed. Using these mediums together, I want to invite viewers to reflect on the interplay between the physical world and the emotional landscape we navigate. Together, these mediums help me explore the tension between what is seen and what is felt, and the quiet, powerful truths that emerge when we stop to look closer. Each piece in a unique way reflects my journey and I wish for it to invite others to connect with not only my journey but their own.
Art show opening celebration December 2 from 4:00 pm to 6:30 pm. Location: West Wing Gallery of the Karen Sprague Cultural Arts Center, 1000 State Street, Springfield, MA Refreshments will be served. You are invited to join us.
This semester, Midterm Projects in the Division of Arts, Media, and Design focused on the topic of Social Media and Me.
Art Show Flyer by Samej Hill Graphic Design 1
Digital Photography 1 and Cultivating Creativity students responded to the following assignment prompt:
Examine your personal experiences as well research issues related to Social Media and Me. Please find a concept/story that is of interest to you. Imagine how to portray this concept/story in a visual manner. Think beyond just an image relating to a cell phone. How can you visually convey a powerful idea that represents Social Media and Me?
Graphic Design 1 students created flyers for the Social Media and Me art show opening reception.
Graphic Design 3 students created an ad that reflected their views on TikTok.
Zom-edia by Jordan Holmes Cultivating Creativity
Separation by Daniel Fraher - Digital Photography 1
The window screen represents a phone screen, separating the two people.
Like communication through social media.
Art Show Flyer by Chase Pham Graphic Design 1
Living in the Shadows by Sophia Sellins Cultivating Creativity
Phones Are Bad for Kids by Oscar Li Digital Photography 1
Don't Let Like Define Your Life by Taisha Jones Graphic Design 3
By Aidan Moscarello - Digital Photography 1
This picture conveys the average college students and how they use technology and social media
in their everyday life. As you can see, the subjects are doing homework but others are on forms
of social media that can distract you and make your life harder in a sense. Social media can be
In my course Cultivating Creativity, we visited the George Walter Vincent Smith Museum in Springfield, MA. Following the visit, we were tasked with an assignment to create a visual representation and presentation regarding what we learned about various art elements from our experience at the museum. I chose to create a PowerPoint presentation and was planning to compare the art elements we were provided to pictures I took at the museum. I started my PowerPoint by selecting a theme when I noticed a feature I had never seen before. This feature is called "Designer" which is an AI design creator. I put a keyword onto my first slide, "Color" and a list of different designs appeared for me to use. I thought that it would be interesting to compare how the AI interpreted the different art elements as to how I interpreted them. The way AI interprets information different than a human is interesting to consider. Humans have so many emotions and experiences to influence their interpretations while AI lacks that. AI produces whatever it thinks is the correct answer I might want to hear where I have unique thoughts and experiences making my interpretation to AI different.
So, instead of the original idea I started with, I switched gears and presented my interpretations along with the AI images. I am majoring in Occupational Therapy, which has a lot to do with applying my knowledge and education to my clients needs. This experience in my course reminded me of what OTs do. I can imagine there will be a similar time in my future career where I will be tasked with something, and I may have a plan and start one way, but I might have to change and adapt depending on my client or the possible challenges I face. This experience was not one I was expecting to stumble upon, but I was able to learn something new and apply it to my present and future life.
A few months ago, Professor Nordell reached out to me about an opportunity to apply to the annual community art show at The LAVA Center in Greenfield, MA. The theme of the art show was Texture. I applied on whim, hopeful I got in, but not expecting anything. I submitted my painting "Fairy in the Garden". A few months later I received an email thanking me for my submission and congratulating me on getting in!
The opening reception was a small local gathering celebrating artists. It was a great event and Professor Nordell also had his work in the show right next to mine. My family came to support and cheer me on.
Leslie with her art!
"Fairy in the Garden"
Leslie's "Fairy in the Garden" along with "Nascent Cukes" by Professor Nordell
Students in professor Nordell's History of Photojournalism Class were tasked with a prompt. The following explanation summarizes of Professor Nordell's assignment, in the words of ChatGPT.
"This blog prompt calls for an exploration of AI's rapid developments, particularly its impact on photojournalism. The assignment emphasizes experimenting with AI tools to create content about how AI influences ethics, truth, jobs, and the perception of reality in photojournalism. Students are encouraged to take risks, think creatively, and collaborate by posting their work on a Padlet called "The Future is Now - AI and Photojournalism."
Students used at least one form of AI to create pieces demonstrating the implementation of AI technologies in our society and the future we inevitably will experience. Students utilized AI to create pictures, videos, and prompts.
By: Shamar Pink Co-created with Leonardo AI & Chat GPT
Prompt: Create an outlook of brave, young people trying to fight against the world transforming from a photography-based life to an AI-led future. I also asked Chat GPT to create a small think piece on my prompt, it said" As the world shifts from photography to an AI-dominated future, a brave new generation of young creators is fighting to preserve the soul of human creativity. While AI offers instant, flawless visuals, these individuals argue that photography’s real power lies in its human touch — capturing raw, imperfect moments with emotion and depth.
Their battle isn’t against technology itself but against a culture that values speed over authentic storytelling. By using photography as a form of rebellion, they seek to remind the world that true art is rooted in human connection, not algorithms."
Co-created with Leonardo AI and Chat GPT, 10/7/24
By: Morgan Schechter Co-created with Luma
I used Luma to generate a video that showed how, in time, photojournalism would not be as meaningful due to the use of AI. The prompt I used to create this image was the downfall of photojournalism due to the use of AI. If we use AI to replace photojournalism, it will lack authenticity and the emotion we feel. It also will produce more biases, the use of AI comes with a lot of assumptions, as it took a few words to generate the short video above. This video shows a run-down building that is dark and gives off an eerie feeling. You can see the stacks of newspapers, and the cameras are broken and misused.
By: Kaylie Moran Co-created with ChatGPT & Leonardo AI
I started this assignment by asking ChatGPT what they believed members of the royal families' favorite Taylor Swift song. Each of the main members of the family was assigned songs and given a brief description as to why they were given the song. The provided descriptions that were given had something to do with family history or love life. An example that was given includes Prince William being assigned to, " The Best Day," and Kate Middleton being given, " Love Story." Both of these songs are about a fairy-tale relationship and their family history as they are raising their own children. These descriptions match their current positions in life and what is portrayed throughout the media. The next example given is Prince Harry with, "Shake it Off." His description is referring to the negative press and backlash he has received alongside his wife. Lastly, I used Leonardo.AI to create a picture that shows Taylor Swift among multiple members of the royal family.
By: Matthew Garrity Co-created with Microsoft Copilot
I had my prompt emphasize the risk humans are to themselves. A group of them building the very thing that could one day eliminate them. Artificial Intelligence is seen as the upmost level of efficiency, when AI starts being heavily integrated into government functions and databases there won't be a piece of information not known to it. As AI advances it will become more powerful and influential as well. I've already seen an abundance of pictures and videos online edited to mislead or scam people. Experts talk about the risks and how every precaution is being taken but how or when do we know AI is going to surpass us or get rid of us. We truly have no idea what AI thinks, if it can lie, if it can communicate silently with other forms of tech, or the ceiling of what is can do. It is clear as day that no on cares about the risks more than the benefits of AI, I think is has to do with the profit potential. I used Microsoft Copilot to generate this image.
By: Paola Rodriguez Co-Created with Leonardo AI and ChatGPT
I used Leonardo AI to create an image based on the prompt "The Impact of Technology in Photojournalism." Then I went to Luma Lab- Dream Machine and utilized the previous created image for the video. Technology has helped photojournalism, but it has affected its credibility to the viewers. Not knowing if the picture is the raw picture taken or it has been manipulated to focus a main point for the person posting the picture raises a lot of questions.
Then I went to ChatGPT and asked the following question ...
What's the impact of technology in photojournalism? It answered with some key things that affect photojournalism.
Accessibility and speed - with phones and cameras that fit in one's hands there is more people with the accessibility to photography. With phones the images are basically send and taken almost instantaneously leading to faster reports and updates in real time.
Quality and Versatility- advances in technology have improve the quality of the images allowing for high- resolutions photos across all planforms, digital or print.
Editing Tools-software created to edit photographs helps photographers to edit their pictures quickly enhancing their visual impact and correcting any issues really quick.
Social media- Platforms like Instagram allow photojournalist to reach a wider audience faster but it also creates questions about accuracy.
Drone and Aerial Photography- Drones help photojournalist to take picture from unique angles and places difficult to access.
Data Visualization- technology facilitates the faster integration of photography with data helping the telling of complex stories.
Ethical Challenges- the ease of editing and sharing has raised a lot of ethical questions.
Virtual and Augmented Reality- these new Technologies creates a way of bringing the story to life allowing viewers to interact with the news in more interactive ways.
Part 1 - Art and Basketball: The Maestros of My Life
I think when people think of athletes, they don’t associate them studying a subject like art. They think that they probably study exercise sciences, or physical health, or even biology or nursing. I study graphic arts and design at AIC and am also on the women’s basketball team on athletic scholarship. Click any image to enlarge.
When being a student athlete, you are constantly tested. Emotionally, physically, positively, and negatively. Being on the basketball team is a blessing for more than just keeping me in shape. Its connected me with my sisters, its taught me patience and teamwork.
However, it has stressed me out to no end. I am a perfectionist, and so I want to do my role to the best of my ability at all times which isn’t completely possible. It connects over to my art life. When working on a piece, I’m hunched over for hours on end spending that time on the shading of one specific spot.
When working on assignments, I constantly ask myself, “Is this good to the standard of not only my professor, but to my class? What are they going to think?”
For both art and sports, you are exerting yourself emotionally, letting go of emotions positively and negatively through something you love and adore. I wouldn’t trade the world for my skills in art or in basketball, and I would go to war for them both. They are both mental processes that you can only perfect through time.
Part 2 - Manifesto: The Unavoidable Assertion of Art
To read the full text of the manifesto speech Rhay delivered in Professor Borrelli's Theater and Society course click here.
The conclusion of her manifesto:
The universe will reward those courageous enough to do what they love. If what you love is painting, then you shall do it with the fluffiest blush as your sword. If what you love is writing lyrics as a musician, then you shall do it with the boldest of scriptures. The connection between artists and non are too similar to continue to discriminate. If what you love is to save lives as a doctor, then you shall save the blood of the mightiest soldier. But do not do so without the strength of your creative mind beside you. If what you love is to defend a client in court as a lawyer, then remember what inspired your solution suddenly. We pave the way for so many, and never gain the appreciation, when all we thrive for is connection. We demand to be seen.
(Rhay paused her speech at this point to reveal her artwork of Vincent Van Gogh as a doctor.)
Vincent Van Gogh created from pulling deep within himself, especially during time of need, and stress, and made something life changing from not only himself and his reputation, but the world around him. He became a household name, with his disabilities and misunderstandings of the world plaguing him at every moment. He could’ve made his life into so many things. For all we knew, he could’ve ended up a doctor, a lawyer, a singer. But he chose his inner calling and shared his life through the means of art like so many want to do, but get downgraded by society every day. Artists through time know the struggle, now we beg that the people yearn to know it too, alongside us instead of against us.
This is why I do it. This is my why. You may know me for so many things, but this is it. My breath, my air. And I only hope to continue to share with you my reason, my itch, my yearning. I only hope to inspire youth, to find theirs too. I hope the shadows that we were forced into form, with your help, into a beautiful painting that we all can experience together.
Thank you.
Click to view Rhay's photographic portraits using studio lighting.
Click to view Rhay's photographic portfolio. Click on an image to view full image.
Professor Nordell photographed Rhay competing on the court.
Striving for an authentic real-world publishing experience Digital Photography 2 students submitted images to F-Stop Magazine's group exhibition on the theme of "Cities". As it turned out, none of the student submissions were accepted for the exhibition. Not accepted for a juried exhibition... now that is a real-world experience! Several of these same students later persevered and their creations were accepted and exhibited at an area gallery.
Worcester by Amelia Rodriguez
During one class period, Professor Nordell picked up the students in a van and they headed to downtown Springfield.
Motor Man by Grace Boisvert
Michael Mendez in Action by Professor Nordell
Single by Rhay Porter
Professor Nordell Consults with Isaiah Darden by Rhay Porter
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