Melissa Romagnuolo - Artist Statement

One day I hope to work in animation making video games, movies, or shows. The whole idea of taking a picture and making it come to life is amazing to me. I have always taken art classes in school and even a sculpting class. With that, my creativity grew. My art teacher in high school would always encourage me to never stop drawing, to never give up, and to do what I love as a career because I will be doing it for a while. As I got older I started to realize what kind of shows, games, or movies I wanted to make. My first interest came from a T.V show from when I was younger. It was a 2D show called Brace Face. It was a clumsy girl who of course had braces. What was different about her was that her braces would get in the way and cause crazy things to happen all the time, but she always overcame the obstacles she was faced with. This whole idea of a cartoon teenager dealing with parents, friends, and boys intrigued me. The show made me feel less alone at that age and I was able to relate to her. Like the things I was enduring in life, she was as well. We don't have many shows like that anymore. I liked the idea of a leading character who is not perfect, just clumsy, and uncertain but still stands out. I want a show of my own to reach out to young girls as Brace Face did to me.

Artist Statement - Eduardo Barrera

My artwork is not just one type of style, it varies from all angles. The context, medium and mood are all different. To me it is important to choose different subjects to express myself in. I’m inspired by everyday life and I believe it’s the best kind of inspiration because you are experiencing the moment firsthand. I’m also inspired by different kinds of artists – and many styles.
I like to work with bright colors but also dark and mysterious subjects depending on the context. The composition and the way a scene is shot is also important to me. I like to try and have control over details that are present in a scene.
Some of my favorite directors are Stanley Kubrick, Jean-Luc Godard, and Wes Anderson. They all have different styles but compose a picture really well and is something that I can learn from.
I enjoy analyzing films as a work of art, where there can be themes, motifs, and or symbolism in the film.
Here are two pictures I took where I tried composing the shot to look as a movie still.

Artist Statement-Stevie Borrello

I believe that the fullest life is one dedicated to creating a better society. All individuals have their own special talents or abilities that they use to impact and benefit humanity. I have found that I create the most influence towards others through the use of media, particularly film.


Our media corporations feed off of what society wants to see in the news and not what they need to know. My work is driven by the need for societal awareness on issues that are unbeknownst to many citizens, especially in the topic of female oppression. Just as I was greatly influenced by a novel, written about the culture in Afghanistan and the poor treatment of women, I want to impact people in the same way so that they might take action to create a better world.


I find my voice and passion through documentaries, which expose the truth in ways that are censored by most newspapers and broadcasting companies. My documentaries look into situations on a personal level, whether that be illustrating how the first amendment affects individuals in completely different ways or by showing how a mythical sport makes someone feel alive. While not every single piece of my work will be a severe or heavy topic, each one has some sort of message influencing viewers to change how they view society and their own lives.

Below is a photo of the novel that inspired me to pursue journalism and sparked my lifelong goal to impact others.

Hunter Stone's Artist Statement

My creative inspiration is a result of my contemplation of human psychology and a desire to fight for social justice.

The fact that the human condition involves such great depths of sadness and enormous heights of happiness is fascinating to me; although most of our lives are often spent somewhere in the middle of these two extremes, my art is often a direct response to one of these two sides of the emotional spectrum. On one hand, I am inspired by the beauty of both human nature, our capacity for love, sympathy, and kindness, as well as “mother nature”--the incredible aesthetic that is the physical world we live in. But on the other hand, I can’t help but struggle with understanding how such ugliness (as is seen everyday in the news) can coexist with such beauty. My art often acts as therapy for me--a way for me to create order out of the chaos both without and within my mind.

I’m inspired by political artists who use art in order to raise awareness about societal issues, inspire activism, and, hopefully, bring about meaningful change in their society. Personally, I’m particularly interested in art that raises questions about human rights issues, such as the wage gender gap, body policing, sexual harassment/assault, racial stereotyping/discrimination, the prison industrial complex, and war. For specifics, see Tatyana Fazlalizadeh’s “Stop Telling Women to Smile” project, Eugene Jarecki’s film “The House I Live In”, and Jessica Valenti’s book The Purity Myth.

I use lots of different media--ink drawing, painting, embroidery, photography, video, and creative writing. Moving forward, I will be moving my art out of the small sphere of my immediate friends and family and into the larger space of the public. While the internet is efficient at this, I would also like to focus on print publications and street art, which can directly interact with the people of NYC.

Jose Cacanindin's Artist Statement

This is the statement of an artist in transit. I have never been a visually-oriented person. This semester I continue struggling to navigate the visual language and weighted cultural symbols with which to communicate a longing for permanence, the ecstasy of fantasy, and queer horror. As an aspiring media creator, whether it's through humor or silence, I want to produce work that deeply resonates with viewers in an emotionally and intellectually visceral way that reveals the frailties of the status quo in both liberating laughter and debilitating despair; the same way John Waters' Female Trouble did for me when I first watched it.

Joanne Mariano - Artist Statement

Bringing hope and meaning into everyday people's lives is what drives me as an impending film major. There is just something fascinating about the human body, the human mind, and its soul. Not only am I intrigued by the different cultures and beliefs around the world, but the interaction from one person to another is what captivates me. Having grown up in New York City my whole life, I have always been surrounded by such a great diversity. I have noticed, every day, the struggle that people go through, from seeing the poor begging for change, to my own middle-class parents who are pressured to make ends meet in order to pay for rent and school tuition. I want to help heal the unspoken brokenness and loneliness people may feel within the silence of their hearts.

After losing a friend of mine to a car accident, I have realized how much life is really worth protecting and preserving. I want to help people know how much of a blessing it is to be alive and to not take it for granted. I want to reassure people that they matter and that their lives are worth more than what they make of them. I do not know exactly where my film projects will take me, but I plan to take a strong, positive approach that will hopefully elicit inspirational emotions within my viewers.

Top of the Rock - January 24, 2013

Quentin Jackson 160 Blog

At a very young age I was exposed to violence on the big screen. My mother sheltered nothing from me as a young moviegoer. It's the drama that forever possesses me, the hieght of emotion portrayed in motion picture that gives the audience that tingle in the spine, that suspense that draws you at the edge of your seat. I didn’t know what I wanted to do when I graduated High School, but it dawned on me that film and the masters who controlled its spectrum was all that I know. I have an uncanny memory of credits to Hollywood giants and their achievements. These statements are debatable in discussion but what’s true is at 5 years old Stephen King’s Misery was my first movie, and I was mesmerized. Kathy Bates and her ruthlessness made horror thriller one of the most important challenges to achieve when I've finally reached the title of Director.  It is a dream realized after interning as a Production Assistant for Clifton Bell at The GhettoNerd Network. Once an intern for the iconic film director Spike Lee my experience with Mr. Bell challenged me as I watch him capture history with a Digital Red One camera. I knew that this dream isn’t far-fetched but very possible for me.

After receiving my A.A. in Communication in media arts degree I started a small media company, which gained profound experience in interviewing, promoting, and networking.  Media being an ever-growing entity because the Internet and its application devices, my love for feature film, no excuse me my hunger for film continues. Being a Freelance photographer and videographer has nurtured my client services skills to elevate from hip-hop artists to celebrity socialite. Now interning for one of the top post-houses in New York, I’m learning tech support and post-production operation from the film industries seasoned veterans. It only makes me more anxious and humble to receive the gems given to me by the artists at Harbor Picture Company.