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The Youth Exploring Science (YES) Program’s Harmony Cooper and Zionna Anderson, both YES Teens from the program’s Media Arts component, were recently selected for the Saint Louis Art Museum’s 2023 Young Artists Exhibition, Remix. The exhibition is scheduled to open September 15, 2023, and will be on view through the end of December.
In the YES Program’s Media Arts component, YES Teens gain valuable hands-on experience with fundamental media arts skills like digital photography, filmography, graphic design, sound mixing and more. Using these 21st century skills as well as industry-standard technology, software and equipment, the YES Teens complete a variety of projects allowing them to create, present, and connect with the media arts.
Jasmine Krueger, one of the managers of the YES Program, heads the Media Arts component. “Putting your artwork in the world is a scary thing to do,” she says. “Whenever artists submit to juried art shows, you are never sure what might get accepted or rejected. It can be hard, especially for young artists. I’m extremely proud of my teens for applying to be a part of this show. Not only is it a great professional experience for them, it’s amazing to know that the Saint Louis Art Museum is soon going to have the artwork of these two young Black, female artists hanging on its walls.”
Watch Your Step
by Zionna Anderson
“This is a remix between nature and a household structure to be an exaggeration of the ‘careful, the floor is wet’ or ‘watch your step’ signs.”
–Zionna Anderson
To create her photo, Zionna used Adobe Photoshop photo editing software. Krueger explains: “Zionna made this artwork by blending and editing images using something called a ‘double exposure technique.’ It was inspired by the photographic work of famous photographer Jerry Uslsmann, who is know for his surreal black-and-white photographs.”
Jupiter
Harmony Cooper
“I think this photo fits the theme of ‘Remix’ because the main focus of this photo is my good friend Jupiter (the snake). People usually see snakes as scary or dangerous. So, when I put Jupiter in a bunch of flowers I wanted to change that perspective from scary to wholesome.”
–Harmony Cooper
“Harmony loves using Jupiter, our resident reptilian educator [at the Taylor Community Science Resource Center], in her photographs,” says Krueger. “It’s fun to watch her pose and give directions to a snake, who sometimes does not want to listen. Harmony always seems to get the shot though, and Jupiter seems to really enjoy the attention. Jupiter and Harmony make a great team!”
To create the photo of Jupiter, Harmony set up a gray backdrop and used two light boxes to create the scene. “She used a GH5 digital camera,” Krueger says, “with manual camera settings she set up herself. I think she did a great job balancing the ISO of the camera so it let in enough light to capture the photo without adding grain [to the image]. Figuring out how to balance ISO, shutter speed, and aperture using manual camera modes is what makes the difference between a beginner and a professional photographer, and Harmony is well on her way.”
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For 25 years the YES Program has created a legacy of success by working with teens from underserved St. Louis neighborhoods throughout the teens’ high school years to help prepare them for the in-demand STEM careers of the future. STEM programming delivered by the YES Teens at the Science Center and in collaboration with the Science Center’s 60+ community partner organizations typically connects thousands of St. Louis community members with STEM learning each year.
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