The upheaval we have all experienced in our lives because of the pandemic has been real, difficult, and sad beyond belief, but our resilience in the face of such adverse times has brought about some creative ways to continue to engage with those in our community while keeping at a safe distance. Art professor Lisa Anne Auerbach continued to take senior portraits despite the great separation we all experienced in mid-March as we entered into lockdown across the nation and the globe. Instead of taking their portraits in or around the Claremont area, she traveled to their childhood homes, met them at the homes of friends who took them in, or captured their image via the internet all while maintaining at least the six feet of distance.
Pomona alumnus took to the streets and captured photographs of his friends from the safe distance of his car. They stood outside in front of their homes, high up on the third floor of their balconies, or in the shade of their studios for an intimate moment of studied concentration of their visages. Another Pomona alumnus worked with Art professor Mercedes Teixido and the senior art majors to create a cookbook that included recipes from each of them that is currently under production and will be available to them shortly. In addition to the cookbook they created, the seniors also put together their own website to feature their artworks for the senior exhibition titled .
Zoom became an integral part of all of our lives as we desperately sought to commune with our peers, our coworkers, our family and friends. These have indeed been hard times for many across this planet, but I think we have tried to make the most out of something that has upended our lives and completely changed them for the time being.