“The View From Here” Is Looking Up

The young woman at the center of Emily Pruitt’s Anti-Romantic looks as if she has a story to tell, but she’s not going to tell us what it is. The photograph itself conveys conflicting emotions — humor and defiance, playfulness and a little bit of dread. That, as it turns out, is the point.

“My interest in photography began in middle school when I discovered editing apps. I spent my spare time editing different stock pictures I found online to create new, unique images. However, my satisfaction with this work was only temporary — I felt that it was incomplete and not truly mine. I soon decided to broaden my practice of photo editing by taking up photography. I was quickly captivated by the versatility of taking photos. I fell in love with the ability to capture a moment in life and be able to show others how I see the world. Likewise, being able to combine my experience in editing with my own images allowed me to manipulate and share different stories and perspectives,” Pruitt writes in an accompanying statement. Anti-Romantic, she explains, was taken with a disposable camera. ​“I decided to use the camera’s grainy, low-quality photo production to my advantage. I wanted to create a slightly eerie yet alluring scene, thus the use of bold black and red atop the bland brown and gray background. Every detail, from the wilted heart balloon to the shine of the rain hitting the asphalt, played a purposeful part.”

Pruitt’s photograph is one of many in ​“The View from Here,” an exhibit at the Yale Center for British Art that features the work of 12 student photographers from the New Haven area — not hanging in the walls of the museum itself (which is open for limited hours and can be visited with free tickets reserved in advance), but projected through the windows of the museum to High Street outside.

The photographs will run every day from 8 p.m. to midnight through October 10, and will be visible to anyone who happens to walk by.

The 12 students — Mason Detrani from Hamden High School, Julie Hajducky from Achievement First Amistad High School, Luke Izzo from New Haven Academy, Tyler Mitchell from Wilbur Cross High School; Sarah Okeke from Achievement First Amistad High School, Shakshi Patel from High School in the Community, Emily Pruitt from West Haven High School, Jazlyn Rivera from Hill Regional Career High School, Maryam Shabazz from Engineering and Science University Magnet School, Laila Smith from New Haven Academy, Kierstin Turnbull from Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School, and Jessica Weber from Gateway Community College — all participated in, as the Center explains it, “‘The View From Here: Accessing Art Through Photography,’ an inaugural four-month photography program offered by the Yale Center for British Art and the Lens Media Lab at the Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage, Yale University, in spring 2021.” The students ​“used their smartphone cameras as the primary technology for developing an artistic practice…. Reflecting on the experience of the pandemic and other challenges, their photographs and personal statements speak to community, family, and a shared sense of place. Together, the student-photographers made a commitment to both imagine and to image their lives beyond the confines of quarantine and to capture the world as they see it.”

To judge from the photographs the students produced, the future is in good hands. To take a few examples, Sarah Okeke’s Agok conveys pride and serenity, but also suggests layers of movement and action just below the surface. ​“I love music,” Okeke writes. ​“To me, photography is a form of music, and both transport me into the world of art. Eyes differentiate color tones, and ears evaluate pitch. Hands create melodious symphonies with instruments and masterpieces with paper and ink. Mouths communicate emotion, which is itself art. At a young age, I was drawn to the relationship between art and emotions. Before I owned a camera, on daily walks I would come across gorgeous glitters of light that accentuated shapes and brought out certain tones. I would automatically think, ​‘This could be an album cover.’ I would always associate visually captivating moments with music.”

“I was born and raised in New Haven by my Nigerian mother and father,” Okeke continues, ​“who greatly inspire me in all I do. As I discovered ways to communicate how certain images made me feel, I learned the infinitely expressive potential of photography. I learned to cultivate an environment of artistic expression with my camera, focusing on street and portrait photography. Looking at people and experiencing my community is how I fell in love with photography. I like to focus on symmetry and emotion when capturing an image; my goal is that whoever views my work will connect with me and share my feelings. ​‘The View From Here’ helped me refine my approach to photography and allowed me to think of ways I could uplift my community through art.”

New Haven emerges as a character in many of the photographs. ​“Being born in New Haven and going to school in the area not only gave me plenty of locations to take interesting photographs, but also a place to grow up and find myself,” writes Jazlyn Rivera. ​“I have met many interesting people and have participated in amazing programs, like this one, that have helped mold me and my artistic interests. These photographs are an extension of myself, so I hope that viewers will be able to see me.”

Rivera’s image rolls humor and revolution together, as a shop slogan becomes something of a twist on Marie Antoinette’s famously self-defeating phrase ​“let them eat cake.” What is the solitary man in the picture up to? Just by not eating a donut he’s disobeying the command above his head. What else might he get up to?

“Blink and you miss it is the meaning behind my photographs. There is always so much to look at everywhere; we are constantly being subjected to visual information. My photographs reflect what I see in those short moments when things become clear while I wander the streets of my hometown. During this course at the Yale Center for British Art, I learned how to hone my skills and take the best pictures possible. By studying color, light, and the history of photography as a medium, I am able to better understand the kinds of photos I was taking and recognize my own personal photographic style.”

Rivera isn’t the only artist whom YCBA’s program caught in the process of transformation and growth. ​“I am an education advocate, community organizer, writer, and photographer,” writes Julie Hajducky, whose image captures both energy and symmetry in a move that could have been staged or caught on the fly. ​“As I continue to learn more about the art of capturing my world, I am choosing to lean into my identity as a creator,” she continues. ​“I use photography to capture life, gazing in awe at the storytelling power that photos hold. My photography stems from my interest in documenting my community and the small moments that make life meaningful. I aim to showcase the passion, intrigue, and hope that I find around me every day — life in its most authentic form. I believe that photography is not only a powerful tool for self-expression but a way to hold systems accountable and spotlight the beauty. I use my photography to remind myself of the stories that we encounter in our lives, highlighting the radical joy that I witness around me every day.”

For Mason Detrani, the program came along just as he was beginning to explore what photography could do — and using it, he was able to tap into a longer view of things. ​“I became interested in photography about a year ago, as the isolation of the pandemic prompted me to consider new creative outlets. This course gave me the spark I needed to fully engage with the medium by using my phone camera to explore and experiment. To me, photography is a form of art like no other. There is a certain beauty in the fact that each photograph inherently maintains a balance between objectivity and subjectivity. I find it fascinating that no two people share an identical interpretation of any shot,” he writes. ​“I developed a style of shooting that gradually evolved over the duration of the course. Even though some of my work may appear to follow a certain theme, I do not actively seek shots that allude to a set motif. I capture what intrigues me. Some of my favorite photographs, however, are those that explore the interaction between the natural and the artificial. In our lifetime, buildings can appear eternal, but in the long term, nature always takes over — a reality that drives my passion for taking pictures.”

For Tyler Mitchell, photography is only a part of his artistic output — and art itself has been a balm in tough times, even as it reflects them. ​“When I was younger, it was hard for me to wrap my head around the idea that art could be a form of self-expression rather than just colors on paper. I was born in Brooklyn, and my neighborhood was not the best. I could not really go outside because of the constant gang violence and other potential dangers on my block. Staying inside was my only option, so I turned to drawing. At that time, art was the only thing in my life that I felt I could control completely, and it was comforting,” he writes. ​“As I grew older, I started writing, too. I felt that words could help people better understand the many thoughts stampeding in and out of my mind. Before the pandemic I would write all the time, trying to find different words to best convey the image I had envisioned. Now, I do so even more.”

As his image attests, ​“I also began to dabble in photography, an art form that I felt was more about capturing than creating. The pandemic helped me to better recognize the beauty around me. I felt the pictures I took were a window into my mind, projecting what I saw every day. My pictures helped me gain artistic control over the things I could not physically control. All the forms of art I have previously explored have led me to where I am now with photography and reinforced that I have a keen eye for what pleases me aesthetically.”

The clear-eyed sense of hope, determination, and energy palpable in each of the students’ work makes ​“The View from Here” required viewing for anyone walking down High Street after the streetlights come on. The Center for British Art plans to run the program annually going forward, which is good news for both New Haven-area students, who get a chance to develop their eyes for images, and the general public, who will get to see the results.