Ever since I was little, I have been surrounded by both art and art lovers alike. With an artist and design enthusiast for a mum, I was brought up to appreciate the little things in life and their simple characteristics such as the shadows that our houseplants might cast on the wall in the evening light, or the way that little black birds had so perfectly lined themselves up along the power lines. My childhood is greatly remembered by the various arts and crafts projects we so boldly took on; a papier-mâché elk with black and white spots, countless pen drawings (“Bob on His Horse” being a remarkable specimen of disproportionate limbs), and of course, eventually photography.

My discovery of photography came along with the purchase of my very first cellphone: an iPhone 4s. Being physically disabled, I am unable to hold a heavy camera to get certain angles or even a steady shot. The lightweight and slim features of my phone thus proved to be a launching pad for me into the world of photography. The introduction of Instagram at the same time also fueled my love for taking pictures. I would force myself to post something every day for about 2 to 3 years, resisting the trends to just log in mindless selfies or food pics. Scrolling back now to the early posts over 5 years ago, it’s shocking to see what I thought was worthy of a photo, but also inspiring to see the growth that I have made over the years.

In high school, I soon found my love of black and white photography, having Christina Morse Scala, my photography teacher and one of my mum’s friends, as a close mentor. I began to find a deep appreciation for architecture, especially Brutalist, as their shadows and geometric shapes soaked up all of my attention.

Recently, my latest works have taken a slight turn. While still keeping with my black and white theme, I have begun to add saturated color shapes into my photographs with Photoshop, a byproduct of my love for graphic design. Thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, I have also upped my hardware game with a professional camera which I have created a rig to attach it to my wheelchair so that I can control it (somewhat) independently.

I am in my third year of study at Northeastern University in Boston, MA where I am majoring in Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics. While at school, I am able to explore the city of Boston and its vast array of art museums and installations, with the MFA, ICA, and Harvard Art Museums being frequently visited and MIT’s installment of Alexander Calder’s “La Grande Voile” as a top favorite.

Beginning in 2015 when my mum, Gabrielle Robinson (née Simmons), took over as Director of CAFA, I also began my involvement with CAFA. It started out as managing the website, with a complete revamp taking place over the summer of 2018, and then slowly beginning to bring new technological advances to the organization as our needs in an ever-expanding virtual world began to grow. In late 2019, I also assumed the role as Treasurer and am as proud as ever to be a part of the CAFA family.