June 17th, 2024
Victor, a student at Forest Heights Collegiate Institute (FHCI) had his artwork selected by the City of Waterloo to be hung as a banner for their Pride Month celebrations.
By Victor, a student at Forest Heights Collegiate Institute (FHCI)
Creating this piece of art for Pride month was monumental for me. I have struggled for years with my own pride, and getting my family to believe in me and my future career in art. So for me to create a banner for Uptown Waterloo, alongside numerous other artists, is now one of my largest accomplishments.
The inspiration for this artwork developed from a quick sketch I drew in my sketchbook. The idea had a really deep connection with me, which I knew I had to develop into a bigger project. From the beginning, I also knew that I wanted a friend to pose for the image. For the past couple years, I have been trying to get my name out into the world, and now I can’t believe how far I have made it. To see this piece of artwork that I made, displayed so prominently, is amazing, as I now know that I have the support from my family to be a proper artist.
The meaning of this piece of art came from the trauma, stress, anxiety, and depression, 2SLGBTQIA+ communities face every single day. The artwork itself has the person (coloured in grey scale), crying and pulling down their face with their hands, symbolizing the depression and stress of the character, and how they might be feeling anguish from a recent event. The tears then flow around the person’s arm, and flow out into the piece with the colours of the pride flag. Resembling the loving and embracing people of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
If I ever named this piece, it would be called, “If crying could ever be so beautiful”.
I also want to thank my amazing art teacher, Melanie Kloet, who has encouraged and supported me. I can’t thank her enough for the support she has given me over the years, from getting student art into museums across Kitchener-Waterloo, to celebrating our smallest achievements.
#StudentVoice Series
This article is written by a WRDSB student and is part of the Student Agency and Voice program. Student journalists embody WRDSB’s commitment to creating space for students to tell their stories. They are ambassadors for their peers as they share their personal experiences and stories about their schools and communities in their unique voices.
