IAM WHO I AM: EXPLORING IDENTITY
An exhibition of student work curated by Ms. Julia Worden at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School under Supervising Practitioner Ms. Elizabeth Menges.
Our self-image is important to our identities. Just as portraits give us a window into how artists see their subjects and what messages they might be trying to send about a person or group of people, a self-portrait tells us a great deal about artists’ self-concept including how they see themselves in
relation to society. In this lesson, students will look at a range of self-portraits from artists such as Amy Sherald, Kehinde Wiley, Shadi Ghadirian, Giuseppe
Arcimboldo, El Mac, and Frida Kahlo. Students will then consider how they see themselves and what they might want to show about themselves or their various identity groups through a self-portrait. The focus of the lesson is on celebrating the aspects of one’s identity.
Photo on the left: Students visiting the Harvard Art Museum to observe portraits.
What advice would you give someone who is creating a self-portrait?
“Create something that makes you happy through the process”
“Be honest & vulnerable. This is an opportunity to showcase something about yourself”
“Just be yourself, don’t stress about how it looks”
"Be confident"
“Have fun and make happy mistakes”
“Don’t give up if something goes wrong”
“There is time to try new things”
“Get out of your comfort zone”
“Try not to think too much about what you think you look like”
“Trust yourself and take a risk”
“Patience and confidence”
“Look at individual parts of your face so it doesn’t feel weird when drawing yourself”
Julia Worden
I am a proud art educator in the Boston area. I believe that art provides endless opportunities for self-discovery, personal expression, and growing community connections. My main art forms are painting and drawing but I have experience working in printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, and digital photography. I find joy in teaching art to people of all ages and make it my goal to help folks build confidence in themselves as they develop their individual artistic styles.
I recently studied Art Education at the graduate level and earned my Master of Arts in Teaching from Tufts University (in affiliation with the School of the Museum of Fine Arts).
I am pursuing a career as an art educator because all students deserve opportunities to express their ideas, emotions, and personal stories. It is my mission to show my students that art has the power to heal, to transform, and to make an impact on humanity.