Page 9 - Laker Connection Fall 2016

Jordan Cox Poster Design digital
Chazalon Respress, a Liberal Arts major and Art minor at Clayton State, had some of her work displayed at Arts Clayton, and she says schools have to rethink their knee-jerk reaction to cutting art and music programs when budget issues arise.
“The art education programs that I participated in strengthened my focus, confidence, problem solving and critical thinking skills as well as encouraged originality and helped to build my interpersonal skills,” says Respress. “Without an art education program growing up, I feel that I may have lacked many of the skills needed to be an engaged and successful student.”
As the next generation of Pablo Picassos, Steven Spielbergs, Misty Copelands and Carlos Santanas leave their mark on art, film, dance and music, galleries like Arts Clayton will be needed to showcase fresh, raw talent for many years to come.
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Through the Lens
Kevin Liles, ‘11 Photographer
Creativity can come in so many ways.
When approaching a photo shoot and in need of creativity, I do a number of things. I first try to think of a unique way to tell that story. Is there anything visually interesting I can use that helps illustrate my idea? Or is there a particular way of lighting a subject that conveys the mood I want the viewer to feel?
I also look at how this story, if told before, has been illustrated in photos. This can sometimes be dangerous because it can fix an idea in my mind that can be hard to escape when shooting. When shooting portraits, I sometimes pull the well-worn books from my shelves that were shot by the masters: Avedon, Leibovitz, Iooss and the like. Their work, though on subjects often very different than mine, can stir up ideas and concepts that I work into the photograph.