SoEun Park, Michigan, USA
My artwork depicts two people: a man and a woman both sitting on chairs. These two people are evidently six feet apart which is illustrated with the six footsteps between them. They are also both wearing masks, symbolizing that they are caring for each other and the community. The man and the woman are talking to one another, but the most prominent element of the art is what they are inside of. Each person is inside a cup, which is connected with a string to the other. This represents the string telephone that we probably have tried at least once when we were younger. This shows the connection and communication between these two people that is happening when practicing social distancing measures and wearing a mask. In addition, it underscores that the better term for social distancing is physical distancing. Even if we need to stay six feet apart physically, that doesn’t mean our thoughts and emotions have to stay six feet apart also.
The orange streaks and dots around the string that travels from one cup to another symbolizes the conversation between the two people. They demonstrate concern, love, empathy, and sympathy that we all need from each other. Even though this might be difficult, before we think about our boredom or frustration, we need to think about the health of others including people around us and the potential number of people we will put at risk by not choosing to simply wear a mask or practice social distancing.
When trying to slow the spreading of COVID-19, we need to cooperate with one another to keep our friends, family, and our community safe as well as promote public health as our main priority. COVID-19 is still a serious health concern in our community, but with our efforts, we can slow the spread of the virus.
SoEun, 16
