Joyce Kamdem
The Art Department’s Annual Student Photography Exhibition is one of City College’s longest-running and most beloved traditions—one of the most celebrated showcases of artistic talent and community engagement. The exhibition honors former CCNY photography professor Joe Harris and his lasting impact by looking back on his legacy while celebrating today’s emerging student photographers. This year, special guest Debbie Harris, daughter of Joe Harris, attended the opening reception on May 1st, deepening the emotional resonance of the night.
When I arrived at the reception, I was immediately taken aback by the sheer volume of attendees—even before the official start time. The gallery pulsed with energy: laughter, warm greetings, and the awe that comes from standing before powerful artworks. From bold self-expression to cultural homage, the range and depth of student work underscored the department's talented students and outstanding faculty.
Photography professor and event coordinator Becca Albee graciously introduced me to several of the exhibiting artists: Maya Nazario, Gabriel Hudson, Sharif Salami, Christian Vazquez, Stephanie Chen, and Mathew Diaz. Gabriel Hudson took a winding path that led him to photography. He began in computer engineering at the University of Buffalo and then transitioned to computer science at Hunter College before finally finding his creative home in the CCNY Photography program. His piece Gaze is as intense as it is personal—a “hellish” portrait of confrontation. Discomfort is the point: the photo, born through a stranger’s gaze in the streets of New York, reflects Gabriel’s commitment to capturing his vision. “With photography, the more time and attention I give, I see results… and that helps me keep going.”
As the evening unfolded, I encountered stories of transformation and resilience like that of Maya Nazario. In her layered self-portraits, Maya faced her own artist’s block and reclaimed space in front of the camera. “I just wanted to create an outlet to feel comfortable in front of the camera, because I’m usually behind it.” Through her work, Maya aims to expand representation in the arts, especially for women of color.
That theme of transformation echoed in my conversation with upper senior Stephanie Chen. She originally started by studying economics, but photography, a passion since her first steps into a high school darkroom, kept calling her back. “I took a photography class as an elective. I was like—yeah—I want to do this.” Her two darkroom pieces Alyssa and Mother grew from a longing to capture the essence of her entire family. Stephanie wants to pursue an MFA so that she can teach photography and inspire others to follow their creative instincts.
Stephanie’s story—of returning to a long-held passion and using photography to reconnect with family—resonates with other artists navigating identity and purpose through their work. For Mathew Diaz, a third-year Art major, that journey began with an iPhone 7 and a desire to freeze fleeting moments in time. Mathew brought me to his piece Mexican American which is an exploration of his dual identity through sculptural elements and photography. He challenges viewers to bring their own interpretations: “I’m doing this because I like sharing what I have… I want people to be inspired to come together through community and selflessness.”
That same connection to cultural roots and self-expression is central to the work of Sharif Salami. Sharif’s journey began in Togo and took a defining turn during a Syracuse-based photography program in high school. His displayed piece Humble, a portrait of a friend taken during a birthday shoot, is a meditation on character and presence. Sharif hopes to open his own studio one day. He dreams of amplifying African photographers and representing his home country of Togo in global creative spaces.
Senior Christian Vazquez shared with me his piece Blue and Rob. He chose to study photography because he liked how active and hands-on it was: “I didn’t want to be sitting for six or seven hours doing graphic design… I definitely made the right choice.” Now pursuing a path in photojournalism, Christian attended Donald Trump’s defamation trial to capture the atmosphere through his lens. It was there that he met Robert—the subject of his featured artwork—walking his service dog, which helps manage his epilepsy. Through this piece, Christian aims to convey humanity and empathy: the core values that guide his artistic vision. Like many others I interviewed, he emphasized that it was the people in the CCNY photography department who had the greatest impact on his undergraduate experience and creative development.
The evening closed with a celebration. Attendees lingered—talking, laughing, marveling—long after the scheduled end. The event reminded everyone why spaces like this matter: they are incubators of identity, memory, and possibility. For me, the event was a reflection of the joyful and inclusive nature of the Division of Humanities and the Arts. It is a night of legacy and light, of joy and reckoning, of seeing and being seen.