Photography Student Showcased at International Festival
This summer, junior Maddie Waris received a big honor – having one of her photos showcased in an international exhibition. This year’s Noorderlicht International Photo Festival in the Netherlands focused on the pandemic’s impact on Gen Z around the world. Visual media students were encouraged to submit a photo that expresses the effects of COVID-19 on their life. Maddie heard about the festival from one of her professors and decided to enter. Noorderlict Photo Festival 2020: Generation Z, which was on view from July 18 – September 20, showcased Maddie’s art alongside pieces from the world’s youngest generation of global citizens.
Maddie grew up in Milford, a small town in southern New Hampshire. Her interest in photography began on a family vacation, where she quickly fell in love with the medium. Before long, Maddie had her own camera and was taking several photography classes through her high school. Her passion for the visual arts led her to major in graphic design at Keene State College with a focus in photography.
“I had planned on applying to a bunch of different schools, but once I applied to Keene and I found out I was accepted within two weeks, I just put off applying everywhere else. I knew this was just where I wanted to be. I love the town because of its downtown city life and how similar it feels to Milford,” said Maddie.
As an aspiring photographer, Maddie continued taking photography classes at Keene State, honing her skills and gaining experience working in a dark room. Professor Jonathan Gitelson helped her follow the prompt to use the ongoing pandemic as inspiration to express how current events are affecting her and her generation through her artwork.
Maddie explained her process as, “I told my professor I just want to give the whole world the middle finger. And he said, ‘do that.’ So, I took myself too literally. I stood in the middle of the road, set up my camera, and just flipped it off. I was just so mad, so mad.” This is how Maddie came up with the idea for her photo titled F-You Rona.
Professor Gitelson helped her edit and finalize her pieces and submit them to the photo festival. Because of his admirability for uncultivated art, she felt at ease eliciting guidance from him. Maddie sincerely appreciated the insight and raw inspiration that he contributed. “I felt very comfortable showing him all my art once I realized that he didn’t care about censoring it or the vulgarity,” she shared.
Maddie is now continuing to pursue her degree remotely from her home in Milford. She thrived in the campus environment but opted to stay home this semester due to the coronavirus. Maddie continues to keep an open mind to find the balance between individual expression of design and technique but continues to foster her passion for art and photography. She would like to continue to make a name for herself and showcase her artwork through her website.
She advises future students at Keene State to follow their gut and intuition. “Don’t worry about censorship or doing the wrong thing. If you think it looks good, you’re doing your best, and putting out your best work, you’re going to succeed,” she advised. Maddie has learned that by following her aspirations, combined with practice and dedication, she has succeeded thus far at Keene State.
-By Isaac Reed ’21
