Gift of Respect Art & Dialogue Project - New England Center for Civic Life

GiftofRespect

Art&DialogueProject2013NewEnglandCenterforCivicLife

TheboxIcreatedisdarkandtherearemanybrokenitemsonit.TheyrepresenthowtornIfeltafteracustomerdisrespectedme.Ialsopokednailsthroughtheboxtoshowthatdisrespectcanhurtothers.Thealuminumfoilsymbolizeshowonetreatsothersreflectsthekindofpersontheyare.Thestonesrepresentsthesaying“Sticksandstonesmaybreakmybones,butwordswillneverhurtme.”

Makingmyboxallowedmetoexpressmyfeelingsthroughart.AfterIwasdone,Ifeltlikeabigweightwasliftedoffmyshoulders.Theexperienceatworkalwaysbotheredme.NowIlookattheexperienceasalearningprocess.Itmademegrowasaperson,andcreatingthisboxmademerealizethis.

—CrystalColon

Ifelthappyandcalmcreatingthisbox,itwasnicetobeinthewarmlakesideclassroomonthecoldfoggymorningandsincemystorywasspecialtome,itbroughtmeserenityandcomfort.IchoosepinkcamouflagetissuepaperbecausepinkisthecolorforbreastcancerandmyMomisasolideragainstthisdisease.TherearefourstrandsofgoldtissuepaperforthelonglineofstrongwomenIcomefrom.OnmyMom’sgoldlinearefourstones,representingmeandmythreesisters.Asilverstrandofropeacrossthebottomoftheboxisanodtomybestfriend’smom,whowelostfrombreastcancer.

Thecamouflagepaperalsosymbolizesthatthisisagreatemotionalinternalbattleandalargegold“I”onastonerepresentsthatourstoryisonlyoneofmillions.OnthesidesarethenamesofwomenIknowwhohavefoughtorbeenaffectedbythedisease.Theyaresisters,mothers,andfriends,andtheyinspiremeandgivemegreatstrength.

—JacklynTherrien

Mystoryisaboutaphysicallyhandicappedboywhoslippedonapatchoficeandfell.Anotherboywentuptohimandofferedahand,butthendecidedtokickhiminthestomachinstead.IwishIhadbeenabletohelpthehandicappedboybutIwasincompleteshock,unabletoprocesswhatwashappening.Overcomingobstaclesinadifficultsituationisanopportunitytobecomeastrongperson.Thismessagecanapplytoanyonewhohaswitnessedotherpeoplegothroughatoughtime.

Rocksrepresentthatlifecansometimeshaveroughpatches.Apieceofstringlookslikeamazeandrepresentsthattheseroughpatchescansometimesbeconfusing.Thepiecesofthatpuzzlearestillnotputtogetherinmyhead,andIdonotbelievethattheyeverwillbe.

—LeahHoard

Handsdown,mygiftofrespectgoestomyDad.MyfatherisacaptainintheArmyreserves.Atthebeginningofmyfreshmanyear,hewasdeployedtoKhost,Afghanistan,for18months.IwouldgetaphonecalleveryThursdaynightandsometimesitfeltlikehecouldfixarainydayjustbythesoundofhisvoice.OtherdaysIwouldn’tgetthatphonecallandIwouldjustsittherewaitingforthephonetoring.

Idon’thaveanytattoosonmybody,butifIdidIwouldgetatattoothathasthecaptainemblemwith“Capt.Kellough”onmyrightpeck.EverytimeIseesoldierIgladlyshaketheirhandandsay“thankyou.”Theygotohealandbacksowecanliveinpeace.

—DonnieKellough

MybrotherJakeisasuperherotohisstudents.Thechildrenlookuptohimasateacherandafriend.Jakeis23yearsoldandteachesinacognitivelearningclassroom.AlthoughJakeisteachingtheclass,heislearningevenmorefromhisstudents.Thesechildrenshowothershowtoappreciatelife,behappy,andloveeveryone.

Jakedemonstratesrespectinhisclassroomeverydaytohisstudents.IrespectJakeandallthathedoesforhisstudents.Whengivenachance,childrenwithlearningdisabilitiescanaccomplishgreatthinks.Respectandpridemakethesepeopleactivemembersofsociety.

—NicoleGalewski

Myboxiscoveredwithblackandwhitepaper.Thesezebralinesrepresenttheworldofblackandwhite.Theseashellsrepresenttranquility,butmixedalongwiththemarerandompuzzlepiecesthatdon’tbelongtogether.Thereisheavyandthickmetalchain...showingthatthereisalinedrawnandthatitcannotbebroken.

Myboxshowsmyjourneytoself‐respect;ajourneyoutofdisrespectanddiscrimination.Itvisuallyrepresentstheneedforpeaceandacceptanceinasocietywhereblackandwhitelinesaredrawn.Chainssymbolizeself‐baggageandhowthatweighsdownthevictim.Onesideisdisrespectandtheotherisalackofself‐respectandtheyearningtofitintoananimalisticsociety.Iwastryingtoexpresswhatdisrespectcandotoyou.

—PatienceTurkson

WhenIwas11yearsoldthecoachoftheopposingteamusedunethicalpracticestogaintheupper‐advantage.Ourteamlostthegameandtheseason.Wemaintainedourcomposure,actedasprofessionals,and“tookthehighroad”inaterribleandheart‐breakingsituation.

Theblacklinesontheboxjumpout,especiallythethirdbaselinewheretheopposingteamwaslocated.Thatlinewaspurposefullydrawnina“crooked”manner.Thebuttonsrepresenta“circleoftrust”whichwasalsobroken.Greenducttaperepresentsthegrassandhowvividthedaywas.Mynameatthebottomisinsmall,adhesive“stickyletters”becauseIfeltnonexistent,irrelevant,anddisrespected.IwillsavemyboxforaslongasIlivetoshowmychildrenandtoremindmyself.Ihavelearnedtopositivelydealwithadversityandthat,unfortunately,everythingdoesnotalwaysgoaperson’sway.

—JustinJamesHopkins

Thisboxtellsthestoryofacomplicatedrelationship.FormanyyearsIdancedwithagirlwhowasanon‐again/off‐againkindoffriend.

Theplacesonthetopthatintertwinerepresentwhenourfriendshipwasclose.Theareawherethepathsspreadapartrepresentstimewhenshedisrespectedmyfellowclassmates,ourinstructors,andme.Thepathscometogetheragaintoshowatimewhensheseemedtohavechanged.Attheendthepathsgotheirseparateways,justlikewhensheleftourstudioonbadterms.Theribbonsmirrorthefriendshipwehad.Ononesidethereisaspacesewntogethertoshowreconciliation,butontheoppositesidetheribbonisalmostcompletelysevered,whichishowsheleftthings.

—MarissaMoore

Christinawasafreshmanatmyhighschool.LastMayshepassedawayinhersleep.Throughoutthistragedy,thefreshmenstayedstrong.Theytalkedabouthowtheyfeltaboutherpassing,andworkedthroughtheirdifficulttimes.

Theupside‐downicecreamconerepresentssomethingupsettingtoachild.Thebrokenclockrepresentshowsuddenlyyourworldcanchange.Theplayingcardsshowhowlifecansometimesnotbefair.TheYalekeyrepresentshowChristinacouldhavegrownuptobeaYalegraduateandthesnakecharmshowsthatsomethingcouldalwaysgowrong.Irepresentedthefreshmenwithchildlikeelementsandthecommunitywithadult‐likeelementstoshowhowdifficultitwasforthefreshmentoactlikeadults,buttheyseemedtodothisalmosteffortlessly.Theykeepheraliveandintheirheartsbytellingherstory.

—HaleyNelson

MyboxrepresentshowIusedviolencetodemandrespectformeandmymother.Twohighschoolfemalescarelesslyandblatantlydisrespectedmymombycallinghernamesbecauseofhowshelookedduetochemoandradiationtreatments.Ilaterrealizedfrommymotherthatyoucannotcommandrespectfromothersjustbecausetheyfearyou;it’ssomethingthathastobeearnednottaken.

Ichosetogowithasmallerboxbecauseyoudon’tneedthebigobjectstodrawyouraudiencein;youcanusesmallerobjectstomakethemfocusongreatdetailsinyourstory.ThepinkcamopaperrepresentsBreastCancerAwareness;thepinkfuzzyheartshowsmyunconditionalloveformymom;theribbonisaconstantreminderthatweneedtofindacure;andthesilverchainshowsthatsheisasurvivorandafighterandbeatthisillness.

—SharyonWilliams

Thisboxallowedmetoexpressmyfeelingsonrespectthroughusingmyownexperiences.ThoseexperiencesarewhatshapedmeasapersonandbydesigningthisboxIcouldshowmystorythroughfiguresandsymbols.Ienjoyedcreatingsomethingthathadmeaning.

AfterfinishingIhadinsightsregardingmybrother.TheautisticawarenesssymbolsmademefeelgoodaboutwhatIamdoing.IprintedoutablankautisticpuzzlepieceandputTanner’snameinit,torepresenthimasakidwithautism.Hemightbeautisticbuthehaschangedmylife,andcreatedagreatatmosphereforkidswithsimilardisabilities.ThankstowhatTannerhasgivenme,Iwilltrymybesttomakethisworldabetterplaceforkidswithautism.

—HunterNiles

Respectissomewhatofanabstractconcept.Pinpointingtheexactmeaningisnearlyimpossible.Frommyexperiences,respectissomethingthatisearned,nothandedout,andbecauseofthisnoteverybodyearnsrespect.

Otherthanthegoalpoststhathelpmorerealisticallydisplayafootballfield,thereisnothingbutagreenfieldonmybox.Icreatedonlyafieldbecauseregardlessofeverythinggoingoninyourlife,thefieldiswhererespectwasearnedorgained.Itiswherepeoplerevealedtheirheartandcharacter.

—NicholasPark

Respectiswhateveryoneshouldbetreatedwithallthetime.ThisisexactlywhatmyhighschooldidnotshowmewhenIwasill.IreceivedallF’sbecausetheydidn’tbelievethatIwassickandthisresultedinmedroppingout.

TheF’swritteninredsharpiesymbolizethegradesmyhighschoolgavemewhenIwassick.Inaddition,thestickersillustratethatIwentfromhavingA’storeceivingallF’s.Ialsousedblueandgreencoloredtapetomakeplus,minus,andequalssigntoshowthatmyexperiencerevolvedaroundschool.Finally,thewirethatIusedtosealthelidsymbolizeshowcloseIholdthisexperienceandhowithelpedmebecomethepersonIamtoday.

—JohnSzalwinski

Myworkisaboutrespectbetweenbrotherandsister.Mysister,Jennifer,keptasecretaboutherhairbeingmessedaroundwith.Mysisteronlygavemehintsthatshewasbeingbullied,butshenevertoldme.

CreatingthisboxwasmoredifficultthanIthoughtitwouldbe.“AnhnEm”meansbrotherandsisterinVietnamese.Theboxhasblackandyellowribbons,whichrepresentsthelightanddarknessofthestory.Therearetwoofeachitemsonthebox.Thereisonethatisbiggerthantheother.Thebiggeronerepresentsmeandthesmallerrepresentsmysister.Thestarrepresentsthatmysisterisaspecialpersontome.Thematerialusedtoholdtheitemstogetheristheglue,whichrepresentsthestrongholdorbondbetweenus.

—BrandonNguyen

IfeltasthoughIwaswalkingaroundwithaballandchainattachedtomyfoot.Thecardwithan8onitrepresentsmyluckynumber.Itisisrippedinhalfshowingthatmyluckisnomore.Thereisalovenotewiththewords“Iloveyou”onit.AgirlIhadstrongfeelingsforrippedmylovepoemsthatIhadwrittentoherintopiecesinfrontofmyface.TherustykeyrepresentsthekeytothefuturethatImustfindinordertoachievemytruehappiness.Lastbutnotleastistheteslacoilstandingperfectlyerectinthecenteroverlookingeverything.Itisasymbolbeingmorepowerfulthantherest.ItshowsthatIhavethepowertotakechargeofwhoIreallyamandknowingwhoIreallyamishalfthebattletobeinghappy.

—DevonAvery

Startingwithablankcardboardboxcanbedifficult.AsIsiftedthroughtheimmenseamountsofmaterials,Ifoundthegray,gleamingribbon.Iusedthisribbontorepresentbraincancer.Ifoldedtheribbonintheshapeofatypicalcancerribbon.ThenIsetthechainupina“Z”figure,makingtheboxappearlocked.Theoveralluseofthecolorgrayrepresentsthecolorofbraincancer,whichmydearfriend,Sam,had.Tosome,grayisaveryneutralcolor.Itdoesn’ttakesides.

MyboxholdsthetypeofrespectSamandherfamilysharedwiththeworld.Thechainlocksmyboxandprotectsthiskindofrespectbecauseitisabeautifulthing.Thekeycanbeseenasthe“keytorespect.”ThestarrepresentsSam’ssoccerteam,theStarsofMassachusettsandthefactthatshewasastarinallaspectsoflife.

—SydneyStengel

Five years ago my family moved from Florida to a small town in New Hampshire. I went from having a lot of close friends living nearby to none. The same day we moved in we met our neighbors and their son, Eli, was my first new friend. In middle school and high school, people complained about how they did not like him. It always annoyed me because it came from people who barely knew him.

At my family’s Christmas party last year, my aunt’s brother-in-law’s heart stopped. We all watched him go from being fine to dying in a matter of seconds. My friend ran next door to get his father, an EMT. During the whole situation Eli did what he could to help. Even though I never questioned why I was friends with him, that night made me respect him and appreciate being friends with him a whole lot more. —Andrew Toscano

Lifegivessomekidschallengestheycannotgetthroughalone.TheMake‐A‐WishFoundationofVT&NHstrivestomaketheirdreamscometrue.IplayintheAll‐StarHockeyClassic,oneoftheirfundraisers.AtthegameIwasinterviewedbyareporterwhokeptinterruptingmewhenItriedtotellhimmybrotherwasmyreasonforplaying,nottherivalrybetweentwostates.

Goldhasalwaysseemedlikeacolorthatwouldrepresentrespect,asitisbrightandasgoldasthestarsintheskythatsymbolizedreamsandwishes.Thisgoldcanalsobeappliedtothebrightnessofthevideocamera,whichseemedtoglareatmeasIwasbeinginterviewed.

—JennaLancour

Inevertrulyrespectedofficialsbecauseofhoweasyitwasforthemtocompletelychangetheoutcomeofagamewithonecall.Butmyfatherurgedmetolearnhowtoumpire.SinceIknewprettymucheverythingtherewastoknowaboutbaseball,Ihadsomeconfidencepriortoumpiringmyfirstgame.ButImadeafewterriblecallsandwasthemosthatedpersonintheMoosupLittleLeaguecomplexthatafternoon.

Thelargeplasticeyesrepresenthowmyeyeswereopenedtohowharditistobeanumpire.TheeyesalsorepresenthowblindIwasinmissingseveralobviouscalls.“Boo!!!”and“Yousuck!”representphrasescomingfromoutragedparents.Themustacherepresentsmywishtobeincognito.Irippedadollarinhalfinordertosymbolizehowlittleumpiresgetpaidforwhattheyendure.Puttingmyselfintheirshoesopenedupmyeyesandimpactedmybaseballcareersignificantly.NowIgivethemrespect,andtheygivemerespect.

—GageGriffin

Toseeinterviewsonrespect

conductedby

FranklinPiercestudents

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