Our BZ 8th Graders welcomed Gabe F’s (‘24) grandmother and artist, Ellen Rontal to art classes this Monday, October 2. As we are currently working on our Expressive Self Portraits to convey aspects of our identity, Rontal’s project with portraits work is a timely and wonderful addition to our learning. 

Rontal’s “I Have a Name" project probed into the visual identity of Chicago's often anonymous homeless population. Through charcoal and pencil renderings, she brought Chicago's street population to our attention. In the course of two years, Rontal created 31 portraits that humanized the faces of Chicago’s anonymous homeless population. In her portraits she conveyed the raw emotion and subtle beauty of humans who weather adverse conditions. The 8th graders were able to ask Rontal about her drawing techniques, her interactions with the homeless people she drew, and her project’s positive impact on her and on her subjects.  

Rontal’s project also ties in beautifully to our upcoming Images of Displacement & Hope project which will integrate art, history and reading throughout this school year. For this project, the 8th graders will interview Ukrainian immigrants and refugees to learn of their experience and put a face on the statistics we hear about in the news everyday. Together with the interviewee, our students will compose a portrait photograph that will tell their story and share aspects of their identity. At the same time, she plans on creating drawings of recent immigrants to the Chicago area. We are working on similar projects and we will be sure to check in with Ellen Rontal again to see how her project is progressing!