VMFA is pleased to present a project developed by students who participated in the 2024–25 Museum Leaders in Training (M.LiT) program. Inspired by A Long Arc: Photography and the American South since 1845 and American, born Hungary: Kertész, Capa, and the Hungarian American Photographic Legacy, students in this year’s M.LiT program used disposable cameras to take photos representing their individual stories and identities. The surrounding mats were decorated to amplify the differing themes students decided to explore. This exhibition features their personal interpretations and artwork. Artist statements are provided below.
M.LiT participants were inspired by how A Long Arc and American, born Hungary capture stories and identities using the medium of photography. They also used these themes to design and organize Teen Night | Through Your Lens, a public program at VMFA on January 24.
Held annually, the M.LiT program introduces participants to a variety of careers in the art and museum setting. Each cohort of participants focuses on a unique project related to the museum’s collection while gaining skills in leadership, interpretation, writing, research, and project management. This year’s class included 25 students, representing 17 schools in the Richmond-metro region.
Learn more about the program on VMFA’s M.LiT page.
Artist Statements and Photographs
(listed in alphabetical order by first name)
Abby Brymer
Little Eyes, 2025
I think of the theme “Identity” as our unique perspectives of the world; how each individual’s mind slightly distorts the image they see, reflecting their individualistic point of view. Peoples’ experiences subconsciously shape how our brain takes in information, creating a unique form of identity through our visual inputs. I like to think of the scenario of if I switched bodies with someone who as a kid got bit by a cat, I would be wondering why suddenly all cats have a scary expression. I wanted to show this idea of a perspective directly affected by our experiences by showing the surface’s effect on the image reflected, an image which both I and the surface can see however see differently, unique to us alone. The reflected image, surface and the items behind all morph together, warping the image uniquely to the surface’s worldview, creating a story of its identity.
Angelia Som
Ephemeral, 2025
In a haste to capture the ephemeral essence of the sunset, I took various photographs of the dying light. Yet the glimmer of light was missing a subject, and in quick succession, I photographed my grandmother against the backdrop. Her expression is raw and authentic with little to no preparation, emphasizing the transient moment. Connections, how we interact with those around us and our environment, were the themes I wished to explore. As the main subject of the photograph, my grandmother is also an integral part of my life. She represents the very connection I have to my culture and language and still continues to nourish these parts of my identity. The photograph itself leaves little to the imagination, therefore to contrast its background I decided to implement a collage of various magazines, personal photographs, and even CD covers; all of which are media I interact with in my life.
Caitlin Wurdeman
Three pointer in flip flops, 2025
I wanted to convey my story through a place I spent [time at] during childhood. I focused my photography on the basketball hoop at my elementary school and I used a collage on my mat using photos of when I played rec basketball and basketball players I looked up to. I chose the photograph of the basketball hoop as I was a very sporty kid playing soccer during the fall, basketball in the winter, and for a couple years softball in the spring. Sports have shaped me into who I am today as for the title of my photograph. During recess in fourth grade we made teams based of shooting a three pointer which I was able to make in flip flops and only about a few of us were able to make the three pointer.
Cate Jones
As the Mind Unfurls, 2025
The theme of my art piece is imagination, as it has shaped who I am. Imagination allows me to think deeper about what I’m interested in, what I believe, how I view myself, and how I see the world. The focal point of this photograph is a Greek bust with a flower, which symbolizes the ever-growing layers of thinking that can blossom over time. The bust not only represents my identity, but the identity of Ancient Greece, a civilization that valued the freedom of the mind. I chose a larger mat to further express these themes and have tied in the color scheme and ethereal style to that of VMFA’s current exhibit, American, born Hungary. These artists have used abstract styles to allow viewers to partake in discovering one’s own identity. And in doing so, I hope that my own art will help museumgoers do the same.
Daniel Kramer
Representing Inspiration, 2025
I focused on items that represent something that inspired me, as your inspirations have a large amount of influence on your life and identity. I have always been fascinated by large, complex machines and the technology behind them, beginning with a childhood love of trains and ocean liners. The books represent something that inspired my future, beginning when I visited the battleship USS Wisconsin down in Norfolk several years ago, where I became fascinated by her story. This inspired me to learn more about battleships, which would later branch into learning about all types of military vehicles and inspired me to share the stories behind and the history of military vehicles. Someday, I hope to work in a museum and share these stories with others. The other items represent things that provide both inspiration and an outlet for my creative side.
Elena Contreras
Balance, 2025
Click, FLASH! The cloths, colors, patterns, and my sister, Eva, all working together to convey my theme, culture, in one shot. The two cultures I was born into, Virginian and Guatemalan, blend together to make my own unique one, helping to create my identity and write my story. Each component of my piece has meaning. The blouse Eva is wearing is a handmade, traditional Guatemalan Huipil. Her posture is the starting position for the Highland Fling (Scottish bagpipe dance) and her hair is also done like a dancer. The background, which is made of two cloths, represents my parents’ backgrounds, and how my sister is centered reflects the balance. On my mat I embroidered Guatemala’s and Scotland’s national flowers, the Monja Blanca and the Scottish Thistle, since Huipiles are heavily embroidered, the figures often conveying meaning. Thank you for reading my artist statement and I hope you enjoyed my piece!
Eva Chenault
Bedtime Story, 2025
Through this photograph, I wanted to harness the effect that childhood experiences can have on one’s identity later in their life. The picture contains a children’s novel The Little Prince, and a stuffed animal given to me as a gift, representative of a fox character in the book itself. This book, given to me by my father, had a large impact on me as both a child and a teen now, teaching me valuable life lessons and encouraging me to stay curious. It was through storytelling, much like A Long Arc and American, born Hungary, that my identity was shaped as a child, and has since stuck with me until now. Combining these two things in a photograph directly connected storytelling and childhood as two guiding forces in the formation of my identity.
Freyja Truitt
If these halls could talk, 2025
My piece (both mat and picture) explores the profound effect education has on our identity and passions. I travelled to my middle school to capture these pictures, thinking about how I could incorporate my love for my old school while also showing its effects on my identity. I focused on the hallways of my school, and all that they witnessed as I matured as a person, hence the title: “If these halls could talk.”
Huxley Carleton
Pony Pasture Grape Vine, 2025
This photograph captures the complex relationship between identity and storytelling through the image of a tree surrounded by twisting vines. I used natural light and film photography to highlight the natural textures as well as light and shadow, evoking a feeling of nostalgia in me. My goal was to explore how past experiences and memories influence who we are today
Kaarunyaasree Santhanakumar
Gathering, 2025
I took the photograph to convey the theme of companionship and the familiar feeling of being with your closest friends. I was able to convey this theme by taking a photo of my friends during lunch at school since that is where and when all of us are together. One significant element that I chose was the “in the moment” feeling of the photo. Instead of having my friends pose for the picture, I just took it while they were doing their own thing. This represents identity to me since I believe that my companions and who I was friends with before have really shaped my identity to the person I am today.
Kat Ranson
My Hues, 2025
In my piece, I wanted to explore how I could use color to express my identity and who I am as a person. Many people associate different colors with different emotions and experiences, and I wanted to tie this into my piece. In my photo, I chose to retain a monochromatic color scheme of pink as this is my favorite color. I then branched off of those tones on my mat when adding a larger variety of hues and shades, where I incorporated colors that I felt expressed my identity.
Laura Monger
Midnight Flurries, 2025
I wanted to tell my story by showcasing some of the most important things to me in my piece. I focused on this in my photograph by taking pictures of things that made me smile. I have always been an animal lover and I knew I wanted to feature animals in some form. While in the mountains over Thanksgiving break, I got this picture of my dog, Midnight, in the snow. Midnight is so important to both myself and my identity. If I hadn’t grown up with a dog like him, I doubt I would be as passionate about animals and nature as I am today.
Lautaro Lo Prete
Absurd Self-Portrait, 2025
Through the process of experimenting with film photography and disposable cameras I experimented first with nature and then later with portraiture. I took a self-portrait; however, due to the medium I was unable to see the final result after taking the shot. The final product was an almost unintentionally absurdist portrait of myself. The contrast from the background from highlights to lowlights bleeds into the foreground. This could be interpreted as my contrasting identities in life as an Argentinian-Italian but also as an American who has lived in both Spain and the US. My self-portrait connects to the American Born Hungary and A Long Arc [exhibitions] because of its portrayal of my identity formed through my diverse experiences across cultures and countries.
Liz Diaz-Barriga
#7, 2025
This work reflects on change. As I enter my senior year and am tasked with envisioning my future, I chose to revisit an important period in my teenagehood: getting my driver’s license. I documented my journeys through Richmond in 20 images, all taken from the perspective of the driver’s seat. Now I take the wheel, my eyes adjusting to the morning light, waiting for the stop light to turn green.
Lyric Bloomquest
ex animo, 2025
Taking inspiration from Through Your Lens, an event created by fellow MLIT students, I created a photo that showcased a personal aspect of my identity. With this photo I seeked to convey my identity through the means of connection. This photo depicts a spread of objects that represent me and people that have made an impact on my life. Some objects represent family members, some friends or teachers and even pets that I’ve had. Each object and person has a special connection to me and has impacted my identity in unique, and meaningful ways.
Matilda Frantz
Orchard, 2025
Taking inspiration from Through Your Lens: an event created by fellow MLIT students, I created a photo that showcased a personal aspect of my identity. With this photo I seeked to convey my identity through the means of connection. This photo depicts a spread of objects that represent me and people that have made an impact on my life. Some objects represent family members, some friends or teachers and even pets that I’ve had. Each object and person has a special connection to me and has impacted my identity in unique, and meaningful ways.
Michael Hill
Nickel, 2025
I believe that your interests and prized possessions are some of the most important parts of your identity, My mat focuses on things I enjoy, technology, games, and my picture is of something I appreciate. I use mostly collages to show how everything we enjoy can come together even if they are from different origin, because hobbies can be enjoyed in endless ways.
Miles Page
Northumberland, 2025
This is a photograph of the house my father and uncle grew up in. The house has always been somewhat mysterious in my eyes, so I wanted to capture that mystery by taking the photograph in a darker setting. I chose to photograph this house because my grandfather owns it. As an African American, it brings me great pride to say my family has ownership of property to pass down for generations, especially due to the rarity of generational land ownership amongst African Americans.
Nic Nuñez
The Porch, 2025
This photograph features my mother on the left and my little cousin on the right, surrounded by Christmas decorations on our front porch. We had just finished decorating together and I felt this moment captured how closely knit my family is, despite being physically separated across the world. While we still see each other throughout the year by going over to each other’s houses, attending Soccer games, and frequent birthday parties, Christmas has always been the signature time of year for all of us to gather together. A part of my identity is my connection to my family. This piece symbolizes the journey my family has gone through with immigration, the intertwining of past and present generations, and finding a sense of community within our identity. It speaks to finding a home through familial ties and cultural connection, much like the story told in American, Born Hungary.
Samantha Schappert
Lingua Latina, 2025
This photograph is focused on my interest in Latin and the classics, which shapes my identity and informs my worldview. It contains my Latin homework and bracelets that I made with my family to celebrate the ancient Roman holiday of Saturnalia. The stuffed rabbit in the corner represents the community of my school’s Latin club because my Latin classroom is populated by stuffed animals and my teacher calls his students rabbits. I wanted to juxtapose the common imagery of Rome and antiquity on the mat with the more personal, individual aspects of my passion for Latin in the photograph.
Sarah Fuller
Year After Year, 2025
There is fortitude in the tangible elements of my life, ranging from a daily routine to annual celebrations. Each year I am enveloped in the comfort and security of traditions– moments when life gives me a little pit stop from the ever-changing scenery. I hold my identity in this feeling of stillness, and when given the chance to express this in a photo, I wanted to tell the story of my life in tradition. So, I took a photo of my parents picking out our Christmas tree. A moment that has been turned into a Hallmark scene one too many times. Nevertheless, buying a Christmas tree and decorating it with all of my family’s ornaments represents me. The ornaments drawn on the matting of my photo are a timeline of my life and identity. They include the places I’ve been the people I’ve seen and who I am.
Seren McCoy
Friendship and Food, 2025
My identity is shaped through my friends and how we bond over food and time spent together. Their support and friendship allows me to be a strong and confident individual. When I focused on leaves and branches, it was a symbolism for the strength and intricacies of our friendships. I intended to feature our friendsgiving and focus on food to help tell my story through focus on community and special traditions among people.
Sophie Burgh
Shelved, 2025
I chose to tell my story by sharing how girlhood has informed my identity. I focused on this in my photograph by showing a collection of items I have accumulated throughout my life, each representative of a different stage of girlhood. I further utilized my mat to demonstrate my internal perceptions of girlhood, which are colorful and layered.
Victor MacLaughlin
Chaptered in Plastic, 2025
I aimed to convey my narrative by exploring how nostalgia for physical media shapes my identity and relationship with memory. My photograph emphasizes shelves of DVDs, using film photography to highlight their tactile, enduring qualities. The texture and richness of the medium evoke a sense of history and connection, symbolizing how these artifacts preserve personal stories. To enhance this concept, I decorated the mat with static patterns and fragments of DVDs. The static design evokes the visual noise of old televisions, grounding the piece in the era of physical media, while the DVD fragments highlight their fragile nature. Together, these elements emphasize the tangible, personal nature of physical media. Connecting to themes of A Long Arc and American, born Hungary, which explore photography as a means of preserving cultural and historical identities, my work bridges past and present, celebrating the lasting impact of tangible media in an increasingly digital world.