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Submissions 2021

Photography

Diversify the Outdoors

By Jan Hu
Senior in Chemistry
Charlotte, NC

I am almost always one of few or the only POC in every outdoor space I’ve been in growing up. Regretfully, I didn’t mind being tokenized in these spaces— it made me feel “different”.I was naive this was a “different” I shouldn’t have felt good about. Instead, I needed to question why I didn’t see more POC in outdoor spaces/industries. This film photo was taken from Sep 2020 one of my solo day hikes as it’s difficult for me to find a welcoming community to hike with so oftentimes I just resort to solo trips…unwillingly.

Chutes and Ladders

By Emma Kirkpatrick
Junior in Marketing
San Francisco, CA

I designed this piece to showcase the inner child that lives within everyone.

“Drowning”

By Amber King
Junior in Creative Advertising
Fort Collins, CO

I created this piece for my ARTS 1020 final and created it with the intention to show how even scary things such as “drowning” can be beautiful.

Pink Night

By Luna Nguyen
Junior in Strategic Communication
Aurora, CO

A parody of the pink panther using different characters in my art style

Growing Up

By Jane Thompson
Sophomore in Strategic Communications
Chicago, IL

I created this photo series over quarantine to preserve memories I had and to capture the experience of growing up in a raw, uncut way. Teenagehood is a confusing time but there’s also a simplicity to it, which I wanted to express.

Goddess of the Gardens

By Allison Avery
Junior in Strategic Communications and Minor in Media Production.
Aurora, CO

Portrait of my beautiful friend Chantal Varey at Garden of the Gods, edited in Adobe Lightroom.

Flu Season

By Jamie Chihuan
Sophomore in Strategic Communications
Platteville, CO

If any of my art were to predict the future this would be the piece. I took this photo back in December of 2019 right before the COVID-19 pandemic struck. This image was part of my on going series of cloak photos which juxtaposes a cloak in different scenarios and landscapes. It helps establish a surreal aesthetic while having realism. Taken in the Target off of 16th Street Mall in Denver.

KUBO

By Brevitt Livingston
Junior in Media Design
Aspen, CO

This media represents a drawing of mine that I traced in to photoshop to color and edit small details.

Blind Songs - The Locals
Head in the Clouds - Poker on the Plains

By Siler Stein
Junior in Journalism
Berthoud, CO

Video

Verb Inspired Montage: To Arrange

By Michaela Herbst
Sophomore in Journalism
Westminster, CO

For my CMCI 1020 class, our professor had us create a verb inspired montage. I chose to create a montage of me baking chocolate chip cookies from the verb “to arrange.” The background music is from the movie, “Up” and composed by Michael Giacchino.

The Village Coffee Shop

By Kenlie Renee Cerull
Senior in Media Design and Art Practices
Appleton, WI

For my CMCI 1020 class, our professor had us create a verb inspired montage. I chose to create a montage of me baking chocolate chip cookies from the verb “to arrange.” The background music is from the movie, “Up” and composed by Michael Giacchino.

Supporting Coming Out

By Christina Ross
Sophomore in Media Production
Abilene, TX

This piece is about what it might feel like to come out of the closet. I myself have never had to go through this but I know many who have. I made this piece to represent my support for the LGBTQ+ community. The original piece was projected onto me as I sat crouched on the floor but the meaning is the same no matter how it is viewed. I used a single clip of me doing rainbow LGBTQ+ makeup and added a soundtrack mashup I created of news clippings and poems.

Be careful when you spark up in the forest

By Jamie Chihuan
Junior in Strategic Communication
Platteville, CO

This short piece was created for my science communications class regarding climate change. Climate Change has made it easier for use to create fires that are worse and harder to put out. Living in Colorado as a legal state it may be easy for someone to light up and cause a fire.

Peter Pan syndrome

By Sabrina Morgan
Senior in Media Production
Mill Valley, CA

A 5 minute documentary about a self expressive 21 year old girl.

Growing Younger: One Brick at A Time

By Hayley Tornquist and Derek Hernandez
Juniors in Media Production (Hayley), Journalism (Derek)
Colorado Springs , CO (Both)

This is a documentary profile piece about Drew Tornquist, a lego enthusiast who has held onto his passion for legos since childhood. The documentary looks at what it means to be a child at heart and how we might resist the societal pressures of growing up.

Women's Rage

By Katie Faith Leonard
Senior in Media Production and Geography
Arlington, VA

Filmmaker Katie Faith Leonard examines the unexpressed rage in her life, and how it is a direct result of her gender. In an effort to liberate women’s rage, she listens to four women speak about what enrages them.

Writing

The Flats

By Siler Stein
Junior in Journalism
Berthoud, CO

The Flats is a short story inspired by the seemingly infinite plains of the San Luis Valley

The Festival of the Flame

By Katlin Risen
Junior in History
Springfield, Il

This section, called the Festival of the Flame, is from a short story I am working on called The Guardians of Kaen Island. It is the introduction into the rest of the story.

dear body

By Alyssa Palazzo
Junior in Journalism
Littleton, CO

“dear body” is an emotionally raw, vulnerable collection of poetry illustrates a young woman’s painful trauma, which cultivated an environment for bulimia. This anthology allows her to powerfully articulate suffocating effects of mental illness. The conclusion inspires body positivity and dialogue on recovery. The novel curtails the taboo surrounding depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and post-traumatic stress. dear body… gives voice to those silently suffering and hope to those who are recovering.

Bittersweet

By Katie Jacobson
Junior in Classics
Laguna Niguel, CA

This is a short story that follows an older woman, Judy, and her own experience when it comes to the process of Death. TW: mentions of murder (bloodless) anger, minor violence

Poetry Highlights

By Jack Armstrong
Freshman in Strategic Communications
Bayport, MN

I submitted poetry I felt had the most impact of the pieces I created while I was at CU.

Neurotypical vs Neurodivergent

By Audrey Grossman
Sophomore in Strategic Communication
San Francisco, CA

This essay, along with photo story essay, examines the differences between a neurotypical and neurodivergent brain. The essay discusses recent MRI findings and addresses the common symptoms and signs of dyslexia.

Audio

Alone With Your Thoughts

By Christina Ross
Sophomore in Media Production
Abilene TX

This is an audio piece I created. The project was supposed to be an ambient soundtrack. I didn’t like the idea of a normal ambiance. This piece is about the ambiance that goes on inside your own mind. I wrote this when I was going through a tough time. You are supposed to feel like you are alone yet there is a presence with you.

Crystal Ball

By Evan Pratt
Junior in Journalism
Austin, TX

It’s a collection of three songs I wrote and recorded this semester. Inspired by the themes of the Southern Gothic, I decided to make some music paying homage to the ballads of country soul but using dark sounds like church organs and brooding bass and drums.

TUESDAY HIGH

By Drew Hersch
Junior in Media Production
San Clemente, CA

Nothing is scarier than the realization that you are falling in love. Despite it working out, this song takes place in an alternate universe where I let the initial shock scare me away. Both lyrically and sonically, “TUESDAY HIGH” is that relentless fight-or-flight feeling that so often ruins situationships with incredible potential. Stylistically “ADHD summer” & “super mario pop,” this track dives into the mind of someone who would rather die than let their guard down. This is by far the most danceable song that has come out of my bedroom studio.

Metamorphasis

By Sammy Wubben
Senior in Media Production
Golden, CO

This is an unreleased track I intend to drop in an EP. It just hit at the right time in my life and was created from a real place of emotion compared to what I usually make which is dubstep (not saying there isn’t a place for that either.)