Author: Karen Yacoub

I have never watched an opera in my life. To be honest, I never thought I was going to. The whole concept seemed a little outdated to me. That was until I actually watched it. Watching La Boheme was absolutely beautiful. From the set design to the costumes, it was genuinely impressive. Also, the stage was unbelievable. The way that there were two levels to the stage along with realistic set designs. I was blown away. It was still pretty boring since my attention span is short. So, listening to people sing one word for more than three seconds was not the perfect fit for me. 

In comparison to Rent, I would have to say I enjoyed the opera more. Rent was too real for me if that makes sense. It was too much about survival, activism and politics. I’d have to say I enjoyed the romanticized bohemian life that La Boheme expressed. The way that the artists were able to find beauty despite their hardship was very poetic. Rent, in contrast, was a lot grittier and more political. I definitely enjoyed the magical and fairy tale feeling of La Boheme in comparison to Rent. 

When I was making my mask I tried to think of things that were unique to me. I have never really thought of my identity deeply before, I just live my life! When I was assigned to think about it and represent it using an identity mask, my critical thinking skills were put to the test. The first thing that represents my identity is my being Coptic Orthodox Christian. It is the most important thing in my life. That is why it took up the most space on my mask-the entire forehead. The left side of the forehead represents the hymns part of the church, featuring traditional coptic instruments such as the cymbals and the triangle, the middle is the core- the cross, and the left is the coptic part- being Egyptian. New York is diversity central. It is full of different cultures, nationalities, and traditions. Being Coptic Orthodox just adds to that diversity. Many artists choose to represent their heritage in their art, and I chose to do the same. 

The next part of my mask includes a dolphin and a swimmer featured on the left cheek of the mask. This represents my connection to the College of Staten Island as a swimmer. Additionally, the right cheek of the mask reveals my strong ties to my family and our love for road trips and travelling. Lastly, the bottom of my mask-the chin- represents my future aspirations and my goals. I hope to become a doctor one day as portrayed by the stethoscope and DNA strand. I believe that this also connects to the role of art in the lives of the community as many people use art to express their dreams, whether for themselves, for others, or for society as a whole. 

Overall, this mask helped me to better understand the role of art in my life. It helped me to express the different aspects of myself that make me unique and I am just one of millions of unique puzzle pieces that make the picture of New York. 

I had never thought about tattoos as an art form before. So, looking at it through the art lens was pretty interesting. It was interesting to learn about the history of tattoos as well as the evolution of the machinery and style. I had never realized that there were so many different layers and details to tattoos- from needles and machines to Japanese and American tattoo styles. I think learning about it from a tattoo artist that has been tattooing for 20 years was a cool way to learn about it too.