“I saw myself in the mirror, and it looked so different.  My eyes were clear and deep, my cheeks were rosy, which they hadn’t been in weeks, my mouth much softer.  I looked happy and yet there was something so sad in my expression that the smile completely faded from my face.” Anne Frank, January 7, 1944

The Anne Frank Center USA invited NYC area middle and high school students to submit a visual and verbal self-portrait, no larger than 11” x 14”. The deadline was April 1, 2009.

Anne Frank’s Diary can be read as a verbal self-portrait. She learned that understanding herself was key to making sense of the world around her. In reading back through her diary, she was surprised by her own irrational and cruel words of hatred. Her decision not to hate others gave her courage and strength and she became a role model for all of humanity.

Congratulations to our 2009 self-portrait winners:

Igbert Baez –Thurgood Marshall Academy
Malcolm Clyde –  Thurgood Marshall Academy
Natalie Dubrovsky – The Summit School
Nathan Ewing-Crystal - Collegiate School
Nicholas Fuertes – Bell Academy
Melissa Greehy – The Shield School
Julian Hackney – Thurgood Marshall Academy
Ruth Han – Bell Academy
Danielle Hoffmann – The Summit School
Jonathan Campos – The Shield School
Jennine LaFurno – Bell Academy
Jacky Luo – IS 73
Evan Mozeson – The Summit School
Michael Nsiah – PS 77K
Segundo Penafiel – IS 73
Jorge Angel Ramirez – IS 73
Valentia Rojas – Thurgood Marshall Academy
Tom Shahin – Bell Academy
Myra Tacuri – IS 73
Hui Man Tam – IS 73
Dqequan Washington - Thurgood Marshall Academy
Brittney Williams - Thurgood Marshall Academy
Joey Yu –IS 73

The exhibit opening is Saturday, June 20, 2009 from 2-4 pm at The Anne Frank Center USA, 38 Crosby Street, 5 Floor. Winners will receive a certificate and a copy of a graphic novel, The Family Secret.

Principals, teachers, parents and siblings are welcome. Refreshments will be served. The self-portraits will be exhibited through August. Student work will be returned in the fall.

Contest winners will be exhibited in the AFC gallery June – August, 2009. For more information, contact Maureen McNeil at 212-431-7993 ext. 302 or mmcneil(at)annefrank.com.


Take a look at last year’s winners!

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