Matt Lee ’20 worked on promos, such as the one of blockboy JB (above), for 88rising, record company. Photo by Matt Lee/The Choate News
Numerous Choate students partook in rewarding art-related experiences this summer. Some travelled or had internships, while others chose to simply cultivate a personal passion. Many avid art students completed summer projects fueled by their individual interests or explored entirely new aspects of art.
Kilimanjaro, Tanzania was what made Derek Ng ’20’s summer unforgettable. He said, “My summer project reflected what I saw and experienced. I compiled a lot of pictures I took from visiting local destinations and teaching in a primary school, and turned them into a post for my personal corner on the web.” On his website, “Derek’s Fault,” Ng keeps a journal of his art and life experiences. He believes that, as an artist, the things you see in life change the way you think and that “the best part of the photo taking process is knowing that you’ll always have something to look back on.”
At Brown University, Ethan Luk ’20 also made an individual online project called “The Waiting Room.” This website focuses on exploring what it means to be a teenager and finding direction, even when you feel lost. He said, “I chose this title because being a teenager represents a waiting period between childhood and adulthood. You’re kind of stuck in the middle.” From buying materials and taking pictures to developing the film and piecing it all together, he worked solo. Luk said, “It’s the first time I really dove into a project, and it became a creation I could really call mine. ”
Meanwhile, Shraya Poetti ’19 and Matt Lee ’20 ventured beyond what they were familiar with. Poetti completed an intensive filmmaking program at Columbia University. Her group’s final 11-minute film was the result of stressful planning, harsh constructive criticism, and unwavering perseverance. She’d never tried filmmaking before, but she confessed: “I learned so much, and I was able to apply my knowledge from playwriting and directing Fringe [Festival] to directing a film. It was really cool. Someone told me there that the art industry is versatile and that it’s always good to be able to do a lot of things. So, as an artist, that definitely helps me in the long run.” Though Poetti had to push her boundaries, she realized it was an incredibly rewarding experience.
Lee similarly escaped his comfort zone while interning for the first time at 88rising, a record label company in New York. There, he made rough cuts for the company’s videos and promos for their new album. He said, “Being in the city, just going into the studio, making art, and being surrounded by that kind of vibe really inspired me to pursue art. Before, I’d never really thought of myself as an artist.” However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing at first. Lee explained, “I was working with some pretty insane artists, and I was a 16-year old among college students. There’s a lot of pressure. It’s my first time working at that level, and it was super tough.”
Whether it’s through a personal project or an internship, each of these dedicated art students discovered something new about themselves and met inspiring people during their summer journeys. As Luk said, “It’s not hard to create or try something new. You just have to do it. Just go out and do it.”
