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Shadowbox Tells The Artistic Story of Senegal

A little girl giving a Hartwick student a high-five through a bus window. A sunset over the Atlantic Ocean. A small bracelet and a shell.

These are just some of the memories Ava Reynolds ’28 brought home from her J Term experience in Dakar, Senegal, West Africa.

Ava Reynolds '28

“I had originally planned to do a series of sketches, but I felt like I wasn’t able to capture the beauty of Senegal. Then I got a photo of this little girl coming up to our bus to give us a high five, and I knew that was how I was going to tell the story of the love we felt there.”

Ava Reynolds '28

Art Major

That image – and others from the trip – featured in a shadowbox that Reynolds presented as part of her final project for the course.

Though she initially created just a photo collage, Art Professor Richard Barlow, who led the trip alongside Mark Wolfe, professor of French and modern languages, challenged her to look deeper.

“We went to the G Hip Hop collective, an organization in the Guédiawaye neighborhood, that gives people second chances by teaching them to express themselves through music and art,” Reynolds said. “On their wall, they had painted the words ‘Peace,’ ‘Love’ and ‘Unity,’ so I incorporated those words into this project.”

She wrote those words on additional photos, then, inspired by the work of Senegalese artist Adji Dieye, drew a large baobab tree on the glass, giving the piece a “layered” feel.

Senegal Shadow Box Art by Eva Reynolds '28

“The images on the glass act as a subtle but interactive element, inviting the viewer to physically engage with the piece.”

Ava Reynolds '28

From her artist's statement

Creating a three-dimensional work was also inspired by the art Reynolds saw throughout the trip. “A lot of the art I would see was abstract and used repurposed materials,” she said. “It was all meaningful. It wasn’t just putting paint on a canvas, and that was really eye-opening to me as an artist.”

March 4, 2025
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