Young Artists Speak Out

High School students from all over the city who had won an artwork competition asking them to address oppression and discrimination had their work displayed at an exhibit, “Young Artists Speak Out,” at the New York Historical Society in March. The competition, judged by a jury of art educators and art school and museum administrators, was part of a city-wide, cross-cultural unit called “Facing History and Ourselves.”

Sophomore Sophia Angel Makrikosta was one of seven winners from the Lexington School for the Deaf in Queens. Her piece, “Non-Acceptance, 2000,” addresses her deafness. She explains, “I titled my art ‘Non-Acceptance’ because it shows that some people very close to me do not accept my deafness and do not want to communicate with me in sign language. In the center is the symbol that represents the hand sign for interpreter. In the upper left corner is the TTY symbol. In the upper right corner is an American Sign Language dictionary. I want people to understand that the deaf have a need and desire to be accepted and loved just like anyone else and that we can learn from each other.”

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