OSSTF: Student Achievement Award

Today I found out that I won the provincial scholarship/contest of the OSSTF: Student Achievement Award for this piece of art called MOVE. The piece is mixed media: a combination of acrylic and collage materials. The prize? $1000. All going towards school. I'm thrilled and honoured to have been chosen for this award. So thanks all, for your support!

This was the write-up, it's a bit lengthy. But GOOD! The story behind this piece is what I believe needs to be shared, not the art:


My piece is called MOVE, and is mixed media (newspaper, magazine clippings, and acrylic paint) on an 18X24 canvas. The name of my subject is Kitty Genovese.
In 1964, Kitty Genovese, a 28 year old New Yorker, was stabbed in her neighbourhood. What makes her story so tragic, is the fact that an estimated 38 people saw, or heard her being raped and stabbed to death. Nobody moved.
After her death, research was done to figure out why nobody reported anything when so many people witnessed the attack. The results were shocking. The more people that are present, the less likely it is for someone to stand up. This is called “diffusion of responsibility”. People diffuse the responsibility of standing up and assume someone else will move, but if everyone assumes this, nobody moves. This theory is now called the “Kitty Genovese Syndrome”, or “Bystander Effect”. So, in her honour and for all victims of the bystander effect, I dedicate this art piece to inspire viewers to move.