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2024, "Respite: The Moments In Between"
William Castellana’s work of two Hasidic Jewish boys sitting on a staircase in their neighborhood in Brooklyn was strictly an outsider view into their lives. One of the boys is holding a bowl, the other a book. Their curls and yarmulkes distinguish them as Hasidic, and their dress indicates an event or service of some kind. Despite their formal clothing, they find rest where they can. These children reclining on a stoop provide a familiar feeling of relaxing while waiting for a friend, a parent, and so on. The sense of patience and waiting is palpable, yet the desire to sit for a minute cannot be ignored.
Text by Haven Simnitt, Washburn student