El Paso Student Wins Williams' PSA Contest
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. - "There is No Mold," a stop-motion video by junior Marco P. Sanchez, is the winner of the Claiming Williams Public Service Announcement (PSA) Contest. Senior Matthew Wollin's "The Privilege of Claiming Williams" received an honorable mention.The PSA contest was held this winter as part of the Claiming Williams event, a day for collaborative exploration of community at the college. The theme, which was also the focus of the PSA contest, was "Examining privilege, building community."
Sanchez, an art studio major from El Paso, Texas, used the amorphous medium of clay to imply that there are no definitive answers to the questions: "What does a Williams student look like? What does a Williams student sound like? What does a Williams student do? Where does a Williams student come from? What social class is a Williams student a part of?" His work, which judges called "a very engaging and artful visual execution," concluded with the declaration, "There is no mold," in celebration of diversity within the College community.
"This was the most adventurous in its approach and the craftsmanship of the stop motion work was fluid," the judges said. "The images, audio, and ideas formed a cohesive whole."
Sanchez will receive a prize of $500 for his PSA, which can be viewed on the Williams College website at http://claiming.williams.edu
Organized by the Claiming Williams Steering Committee, the PSA contest was open to all Williams students, staff, faculty, and alumni.
"We are excited about offering this opportunity as we believe this forum -- digital video -- offers a potent platform for individuals and collaborative teams to give public voice to their aspirations of what they respect about Williams and what still needs improvement to become a stronger institution for all," said Ed Epping, professor of art and steering committee member.
The PSAs, ranging in length from 30 to 90 seconds, were reviewed by a panel of judges for effectiveness, production, and originality. The judges were Noah Harlan of 2.1 Films, Val DiFebo, of Deutsch, and Steve Harty of North America, BBH.
All categories of narrative for either the audio or digital video format were permitted, whether documentary, experimental, narrative, or animated.
