Eva Lassman Memorial art and essay contests: Sydney Johnston takes first place in art for middle school
“Walk a Mile,” by Sydney Johnston, depicts what one might experience and learn by walking in another’s shoes. It is the winner in the 2019 Eva Lassman Memorial art contest for the middle school division. (Courtesy photo)
The Spokane Community Observance of the Holocaust has announced the top three middle school selections in its 13th annual Eva Lassman Memorial Writing and Art Contests. The contest theme is “Speaking Up for ‘the Other’.”
The contest asked participants to learn about the Holocaust and read about or listen to some of the many stories of survivors who were labeled “the other” by the Nazis, and address these questions:
1. What are the lessons you learned from their stories that had a major impact on you? Why is it important to speak up for those who are considered “the other”?
2. Who are “the other” today? Based on the lessons you learned, what are you motivated to do to speak up for them?
Sydney Johnston is the middle school first place winner for art and explains her artwork.
‘Walk a Mile’
By Sydney Johnston
Grade 8
Salk Middle School
For my art piece I have decided to represent standing up for “the other” by using shoes. These shoes show how standing up for another can happen by standing in their shoes. This relates to the Holocaust in the way that Adolf Hitler collected shoes from the Jews, whom he brutally tortured and killed as trophies. As horrible as it sounds, he was attempting to commit genocide of not only Jews but anyone who didn’t fit his description as “normal” or “perfect human.”
I have cut out stereotypical words that fill our world and put them on shoes to illustrate this image of categorizing and walking in someone else’s shoes. When you walk in someone’s shoes it can help you realize what it’s like to be put in a box and labeled. An example of this would be thinking of others and how their lives change when we label them. We still classify people consciously or subconsciously of all different kinds because they don’t fit our image of “normal.”
The words on my shoes represent the names we call people, the way we stereotype, and what can be done to help end this horrible act we are all guilty of.