WESTWOOD, N.J.—Westwood Regional High School student Charlotte Flynn, a senior in the AP and honors program, created a work of art that tells a patriotic story and communicates a message of racial identity in America.
Flynn pulls from her own experiences, observations, and experiments to share her message of embracing our diversity, and celebrating our differences. The artwork is on display at the high school.
According to art teacher Pamela Duffus, Westwood Regional AP and Honors Studio Art students are encouraged to create works of art that tell a story and communicate a message. Students explore topics of interest or concern to them and experiment with various ways to visually depict their ideas. They develop a series of works while investigating their topic and are encouraged to take risks with their art.
“Charlotte’s concentration focuses on racial identity in America. She has pulled from her own experiences and observations and has experimented with ways to share her message,” Duffus told Pascack Press on Feb. 6.
Flynn told Pascack Press, “For my sustained investigation I am looking deeper into both my own and America’s racial identity.”
She recreated the American flag, she said, “to depict the racial struggle that Americans have endured. I wanted this flag to look like it has been ripped apart and put back together, just as our country has been ripped apart by racism. If we teach each future generations to look past race, the country will be a more open-minded and peaceful place.”
According to Principal Frank Connelly, Duffus “does an amazing job developing creative activities for her students. With everything going on in the world today, Charlotte’s piece allows us to reflect on what is truly important in life: peace, love, respect, and acceptance of people of all different backgrounds.”
Westwood Regional School District, the only K–12 regional school district in Bergen County, serves approximately 2,750 students from the Borough of Westwood and the Township of Washington.
