Kathryn Rodrigues

For the second year of my residency at Sullivan High School, I visited an after school program focused on performing arts that many of the immigrant and refugee students I got to know during my first year were participating in. I was curious to see the difference with the program being out of school time in an auditorium versus in a classroom. The students were tasked with writing, performing and creating the sets for their performance. I was impressed with how the students collaborated and encouraged each other to get over their initial shyness performing on a huge stage. As with last year, I was struck by the camaraderie between the students and the two teachers who were leading the program. I enjoyed being able to capture the distinctive environment of the school auditorium and spontaneous moments of quiet contemplation, joking around, and working together to create something.

With a parent in the military, most of my childhood was spent moving every couple of years, often outside of the U.S. By the time I was beginning high school, I had moved 10 times within 5 countries. I grew up going to International Schools where my peers came from all over the world and spoke many different languages which had a huge impact on my worldview. This experience has led me to be fascinated by the ambiguity of simultaneous belonging and longing, separation and closeness, the known and unknown. 

In researching CPS schools I came across Sullivan High School, which has the highest population of immigrant and refugee students in Chicago, and knew I wanted it to be the site of my residency with Artists in Public Schools. I was curious how students are able to balance acclimating to American culture while also retaining and celebrating the culture in which they came from. I began visiting the school weekly and making portraits of the students while also sharing our individual journeys to Chicago via Google Earth. We explored how memory works and what smells, sounds, and sights can trigger memories of home. I was struck by the close bonds students have made with each other, often across different cultures and backgrounds. I wanted to make portraits that celebrate these friendships and the beauty and vibrancy that this population brings to Chicago.