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2023 Collection
Myles Fabre, "i got u 2," 2023. Trust, love, and vulnerability exemplify the intersection of work, family, and cultural heritage. The barbershop serves as a social hub where Black men can bond and connect with their barbers, making work a means of building and strengthening familial and community relationships.
Marisol Hernandez, "Best Wishes," 2023. My birthday this year fell on a Sunday. I always hang out with my family for my birthday so I didn't expect to see any friends until Tuesday (no school on Monday). One of my coworkers, who happens to be a close friend, surprised me on Saturday during our shift with a gift and a cake. We work in a restaurant, so when there wasn't a rush, we went to the back, where she put a candle on the cake and sang Happy Birthday to me. Later that night, when we closed, my boss and all of my other coworkers surprised me with an ice cream sundae and then proceeded to sing Happy Birthday to me (again). I think it shows that work can feel like a family sometimes and that family obviously comes in different forms.
Julia Copas, "Headed Off," 2023. Every day, my brother rides his bike down the street to school. Even though his school is within walking distance, he prefers to take his bike because all of his friends also ride their bikes. Most days after school, they ride their bikes around the neighborhood and gather other kids from their houses to join them. They usually meet at our house, and my mom makes them drink water from the hose.
Josephine Fahrenbacher-Martin, "More family time less screen time," 2023. While almost everybody works, some jobs make it hard for people to have family time every night. My dad is a hard worker and loves his job, but sometimes, I think he’s at his desk while I eat dinner. Some people's dads aren’t even home for dinner, so I feel lucky. I talked to Sage Flowers about parents working while eating dinner: It’s never fun to be alone at the dinner table while your parents have to work. When I look at the desk with my dad's eyes stuck into the screen and he’s right next to me, I still miss him.
Stella Little, "Stairway," 2023. A wall of important family pictures from multiple decades ago to the present day. They lead to a motivational sign that keeps everyone thinking about the predominant message of working hard while still being nice to everyone.
Callen Romell, "Selective Family Photo," 2023. My family always takes photos of events and sends them to relatives who don't live close enough to visit. Most years, my mom props her phone up on the counter and sets a timer, but I took the photos this year. My brother is the pride and joy of my family, so it was important to them that there was a good photo of the three of them. I don't mind since I don't like being in photos and would much rather be the one to take the photos. It was nice to take photos of them being dressed up for Easter mass and use my camera since I don't have the opportunity to use it often.
Matthew Brewster, "me and ma," 2023. This is me and my mom in Washington, DC. We took a selfie of the pretty cherry blossoms while on vacation, working to avoid working.
Heidi Deuel, "Working Hands," 2023. My dad has a career as a writer for companies, so his hands are constantly typing away. I don't know how he can persevere and work so hard every single day. He dreams of writing a mystery novel before he gets too old. When I am older, I want to help make that dream come true.
Denarie Rawlins, "Beauty Of Nature," 2023. This close up photo emphasizes the interest of nature amongst me and my family. The color of the grass, the scenery of the picture and the environment itself shows the effect of nature on individuals.
Oliver Conrod-Wovcha, "Contemplative at Sunset," 2023. As the sun sets, my mom likes to step outside and watch it disappear through the trees as she reflects on her day or contemplates whatever is on her mind. She tells me that doing so everyday brings her calmness and a sense of rhythm.
Darby Roldan, "Easy Dinner," 2023. This is our family's slow cooker. My dad always makes dinner for us, but he has to work 7 days a week, so there really isn't too much time to prepare dinner throughout the day. He uses the slow cooker to his advantage because he can contribute to our family by making dinner and preparing everything in the morning before work, and it is ready when he is done with work. His work day is very long, and he only has short breaks in between to be able to modify and add to the dinner, so the slow cooker works best for him when he cannot take too many breaks. Whenever I come home, I immediately know there is a slow cooker dinner, because of the aroma the whole house is filled with, and I see my dad is still working. I always greet my dad at the door after school and ask him what is for dinner, after seeing if the slow cooker is out. These dinners, regardless of the fact he cannot spend much time on them, are always one of the best parts of my day, because my mother, father and I always eat together.
Oliver Conrod-Wovcha, "Window Washing," 2023. One of my sisters' weekend jobs is to clean the windows, so we can all enjoy the exterior views. She makes sure to clean every smudge and speck of the glass diligently. Although it's a time-consuming job, the results are worth the while.
Eli Ruminson, "Shared Space," 2023. Although neither of us have a job, my sister and I still have to do work for school. I wanted to create a piece that showed our relationship and some of the things we work on when we're in a room together. We usually do things separately, acting as silent company- so I drew her homework and hobbies on the left, mine on the right, and a few shared items in the middle. The similar color scheme/lack of a clear divide represents how close we are. Even though we don't talk much when we're working, it's a nice excuse to spend more time together. It makes it even more fun to be able to talk and play games when we're done. Any time I can get with her before I leave for college is a blessing.
Savannah Switzer, "Hold Your Breath," 2023. Covid has had a huge impact on my family. Both my parents are covid doctors, and my sister has an immune compromise. We all have trauma from the last few years, both from my parents seeing people die in front of them and the people mask-shaming me and my sisters. During these last few years, my family has been truly the only ones supporting each other, and we continue to do so.
Cara Lin, "23/7," 2023. In my piece, I try to express the repetitive nature of working and how difficult it can feel when you can't spend time with your family. The number 23 is present in the title. It is highlighted because I wanted to emphasize how we all work very hard. Sometimes it feels like we need to be working 24/7 but in reality, no one can ever work all the time. I tried to involve 3D elements in the piece by creating layered calendar pages that swoop downwards, which show the vast number of days and how work can seem never-ending.
Oliver Conrod-Wovcha, "Late Night Snack," 2023. With different evening schedules, the members of my family all have dinner separately during short breaks in our schedules. After a night filled with sports, homework, and orchestra practice, I search the fridge for something to eat before I go off to sleep.
Oliver Conrod-Wovcha, "Nightly Planning," 2023. My dad coordinates the many different events that fill his and his children's days. He organizes PTO meetings, schedules doctor appointments, figures out sports practice and game timing, and much more. Here, he stays up late, figuring out the coming day and making sure that nothing is missed on his calendar.
Kyan Adams, "The only work for me," 2023. Since age 3 or 4, dinosaurs have filled up my room. I have always wanted to be a paleontologist because of my love for all species, extinct or extant, and their amazing biology, and it hasn't changed from then to now. Many people have zero idea of what they want to do in life, but my path has stayed straight and will stay like that.
Juan Gutierrez, "Tradition," 2023. Never-ending memory. One Christmas in 2018, Juan Gutierrez decided to take his family to a studio and continue a tradition. Ever since that Christmas, his family has participated in this beautiful bond that brings true meaning to family. As the years go by, Juan never forgets what he created and he will forever cherish the moments of a family tradition.
Emmett Tjen, "Empty Office," 2023. My dad looks out the window of his empty office. Because of the pandemic, he's one of the few people that works at his company's new office. This day, he's the only person there.
Beau Barrett, "Torment," 2023. Maybe in the morning or maybe at night, no one knows when. The only thing we do know is it will happen at one point or another. My dad often gets called in to work at random hours because he is a police officer and the world doesn't just stop because the shift is over. I know this is for us in the long run but, right now I am not so sure anymore.
Linden Koshland, "Clutter," 2023. In the basement under our house, we have lots of disorganized storage. We keep files, childhood memorabilia, holiday decorations, suitcases, and old art supplies down here. Although the upstairs is always tidy, the storage underneath is never cleaned out.
Finn Brooks, "Breakfast of Champions," 2023. Both of my siblings are athletes, and my father; their coach. "Just as important as training," he tells us, "is letting your body recharge". For my sister this means taking a break on the steps between pull-up reps, and waiting for waffles to finish cooking. For my brother, however, it's deeper. A herniated disk in his back took him out of his basketball season last year and still plagues him with every step. The Breakfast of Champions that was once fuel on the court takes on a new meaning. This change has forced him to step back and reconsider where he's going to put his energy moving forward.
Finn Brooks , "The Final Bite," 2023. After a long day of work, cooking, and stress my mom enjoys her final bite of food in the empty kitchen. My parents' separation has had an enormous toll on my mom. She now juggles all the food preparation, cleaning, and her job at the university all while taking care of her three kids.
Beau Barrett, "A Difficult Job," 2023. My older brother, Lucas works the night shift at the hospital as a nurse. He leaves around 8:30 at night and finishes around 6:00 in the morning. When he gets home he says hello and then he goes to sleep and the cycle repeats. Sometimes people only see a nurse and often he endures moments where patients don't treat him like a person. He specializes in phlebotomy which I know isn't fun for the patients but someone has to do it and they often don't realize how important it is for their health.
Reilly MacMillan, "Trapped in the Computer," 2023. My mom spends a lot of her day in her office, focused on her computer and nothing else.
Finn Brooks, "Backyard Living Room," 2023. My father has always prioritized outdoor living. Throughout my childhood I've watched him transform the dirt lot in our backyard into the heart of our home. The two cabins he built to serve as rooms for my brother and me shed light onto our earliest construction project, the "BROOKS" Treehouse. Couches and hand-picked quarry stone sit above the turf grass and hug the fireplace to create our Backyard Living Room.
Amanda Rosales, "Order #11," 2023. My mom patiently waiting for her food after working on a weekend.
Linh Nguyen, "Work From Home," 2023. The holidays don't mean work is on pause. My dad settles in the living room after Thanksgiving dinner to sort through the mail and pay the bills.