“Multimedia Essay #2”

Artist Statement

To capture an essence of the Loyola student’s high school and surrounding community I used a digital Canon Rebel XT. Based on discussion with the students, we selected areas of the school they felt personal connections with, as well as examples from a historical perspective on the buildings. My students seemed to have very little to say about their community and destinations for recreation. The majority said they just hung out at home or another friend’s house. I had the pleasure of getting to see where one of my students lived, but other than that their enthusiasm regarding their community remained disappointingly, or maybe sympathetically, vague. Just as interesting as being provided more insight on what they would consider “important destination,” may be the lack of examples expressed. One thing was for sure; if you were skipping school there was a 99% chance you were at “El Reys.”

As I patiently waited while the students struggled to come up with examples, I started thinking about how the lack of recreational possibilities ties into their community. Where is pride brought to a community when there’s “nothing” to take pride in, or “nothing” to do? Where does a child of the south side find positive activity and structure regarding their free time? Why is the only place of excitement, or location indicated with a smile, a small strip mall with nothing but grocery and cell phone stores, where students retreat to skip school? It’s these types of questions from which I pull beneficial meaning concerning our course. It’s these types of experiences that build my understanding of segregation and economic struggles when it comes to the dozens of individual Milwaukee communities.

My essay was constructed in a documentary format. I tried to provide a students perspective of the school, as well as a historical background concerning the buildings origins as a church. I also covered “El Reys” extensively, as it was one of the very few examples provided concerning the community. My goal was to make the ratio of pictures with El Reys slightly outweigh the images of the school. By providing insight on where they retreat from school I was hoping to show the student’s perception of priority and the lack of motivation and recreational joy accessible by the community.