Ashley Czajkowski
Emerging Artist Award, Visual and Fine Art

Following her high school graduation, Ashley went on to pursue her passion by studying photography at Emporia State University, in Emporia, Kansas. Upon her acceptance, she submitted a portfolio to the art department and received the first of her many art scholarships. Since then, Ashley has received scholarships from Emporia State University every year of attendance, including the prestigious Shepherd Scholarship, which is based not only on each student’s academic achievements, but also on the student’s contribution to his or her specific field of study.  In addition to awards, Ashley’s artwork has also been recognized by guest jurors and exhibited every year at the university’s Annual Juried Student Show.

Ashley’s first solo exhibition and most recent show, her Senior Exhibition, is her greatest achievement to date. The exhibition surpassed all expectations and was met with high regard by professors and peers. Currently, Ashley is entering her last year at Emporia State where she will graduate in the Fall of 2009 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in photography. She has hopes of traveling the world, and eventually earning her Master’s degree in graduate school.

Artist Statement

Photographers are responsible for capturing truth. Regardless of staging or alteration, a photograph is based on a moment in real space and time, thus it is always perceived as truth. The most truthful image any artist can create is a self-portrait. All of Ashley Czajkowski's works are self-portraits, although perhaps not in the traditional sense. Essentially, her works exemplify her experiences. Her struggles with growing up in a rural environment and coming of age in a single parent home have a significant influence on her work.

On the broader spectrum, Ashley's images explore social views and interactions, particularly those dealing with childhood and gender, often featuring young girls as models. Vulnerability and innocence are recurring themes in her photographs, as these terms are customarily associated with children. However, Ashley's black and white portraits suggesting tainted youth are meant to question this assumed affiliation. Her representations reveal scenes that often go unnoticed, or perhaps overlooked on purpose, and she strives to challenge the viewer in this revelation.

Her aesthetically pleasing imagery juxtaposed with their somewhat unsettling content creates an interactive attraction-repulsion reaction. Though there is an undeniable element of discomfort she creates, it is of a quiet, subtle nature, and requires contemplation on the part of the viewer. Similarly, she composes scenes that introduce a narrative, but one that is indefinite, leaving the entirety of the story for the viewer to interpret. As a photographer, Ashley makes great efforts to ensure that her photographs transcend the proverbial "pretty picture".