Teachers aren't always right...
Don’t you just love a bit of good news? The kind of news that comes with a big, fat ‘I told you so’ moment. Well, you’re in luck.
Meet Jasper Finn, an 18-year-old trans man from America who just graduated from high school. As a talented artist, Finn thought teachers would encourage him to be creative and let his personal inspirations run wild in his final year. But instead, these trusted authority figures tried to censor his work.
Finn chose to focus on gender, gender dysmorphia and sexuality in his artwork as part of his AP Studio Art class. Stunning vibrant pieces depict the feelings of isolation, fear and ‘othering’ often experienced by the queer and transgender community.
And still, given the quality and power of Finn’s aesthetic, his school didn’t agree with the art he was making and deemed it ‘inappropriate’ because it centred on nudity.
‘After starting my concentration, the school vice principal came to me after my art teacher informed the administration about my 'potentially sensitive' concentration subject,’ Finn told PRIDE.
‘He said that although he had "no problem" with the LGBTQ theme, there is a "time and a place" for “these things” and that it did not belong in public schools.'
It’s 2017, come on. Would you chastise Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres for painting ‘La Grande Odalisque’?
But, thankfully, the talented student wasn’t giving in that easily. He kept his creative identity and proved all the naysayers wrong.
‘I just kept making art and didn’t listen to the administration,’ Finn explained. ‘I wasn’t able to put my work in any of the school art shows. I wasn’t able to even show my parents. But I was proud of what I was doing.’
After submitting his portfolio to be examined by the College Board, he was given the highest possible score any student can get. And, furthermore, his work is going to be included in the 2017 - 2018 AP Studio Art Exhibit that celebrates highly talented students.