Ortiz wins Haiku contest

Associate Director of Academic Technology Victor Ortiz was selected as a runner up in HaikuNow!, an international haiku contest, judged by former U.S. poet laureate Billy Collins.  His haiku was selected from 2,000 poems from 20 different countries.

He was also invited to perform at the longest running haiku performance venue in the country in August.  This performance, “Two Autumns,” invites four poets annually to perform, and later have their poems published.

Ortiz was inspired to write his haiku after noticing the beauty of  mature oranges and young orange blossoms on the same branch.  He was so excited when he found out that he won, especially since Collins judged his haiku.

“You know that expressions ‘falling to the floor’?  Well, I experienced that for the first time,” Ortiz said.

– Madeline ’12

Student artists win competition

Three students won awards for their photographs in the competitive high school photography exhibit at the Creative Arts Workshop April 17. Senior Colleen won the grand prize, and sophomore Elyse and junior Genesis won honorable mentions. Sophomore Megan sold her first photograph during the show as well.

Genesis said that the reception was a great way for everyone to showcase their photography. She received an honorable mention for her piece “Speed of Sound,” which she shot at the Griffith Observatory.

“I didn’t expect to win, but it was really nice to see my name on the award!” she said.

– Julie ’10

Soo Kim exhibit opens in Seaver

Artist in Residence Soo Kim juxtaposed fantasy and reality in her collaborative photography exhibit with students entitled “Faraway,” which opened in the Seaver Gallery May 6.

A selected group of ten students printed and altered their own 30’’x 30’’ landscape portraits using a subtractive method and layered their images with photos of other students.

Kim also made portraits of each of the girls in the program and observed the “physicality” of each of their faces in order to match the contours to those of a map.  She cut out topographical maps from various literary references of imaginary places on the portraits in order to help delineate “unchartered territory” in the girls’ lives.

The Berman/Bloch family funds the Artist in Residence program.  The show ends June 11.

- Colleen ’10