Art Show This Sunday In Raphine
On Sunday, May 4, the RCHS Photography III Honors class will host its very first Barn Burner, a one-day art show inside a barn that features students’ photography.
The show will be held at Wades Mill, 55 Kennedy Wades Mill Loop, in Raphine, from 3 to 5 p.m.
All year long, Photo III students have been working hard on their Project Based Learning (PBL) projects, and this is their opportunity to showcase their final products.
Photography III Honors students Claire Sigler, Madelyn Jones, Annalee Penny, Libby Pearson, and River Jenkins all had the opportunity to select their own topics to photograph, each for different reasons.
“For my project, I recreated iconic album covers replacing the artists with images of my friends and family,” junior Clair Sigler said. “This project allowed me to expand my knowledge and understanding of the importance of layout, editing and typography. I was inspired by my love for graphic design and the possibility of using these new skills in a future career.”
As with Sigler, junior River Jenkins has also been experimenting with the importance of editing and new techniques.
“My most recent project is all about connecting the natural physical world to photography,” she said. “I am using film and analog processing to create prints of my images. When enlarging onto the photo paper, I have been experimenting with laying things on top to create silhouettes, drawing on the paper, etc. It has been fun to find new techniques and test any ideas I think of.”
Not only are these students learning new approaches to photography, but they are also delivering messages through their artwork.
“When it comes to the actual photographs, my favorite work is portraiture,” said Jenkins. “We as people have a lot of personal struggles and insecurities. If I am able to bring out someone’s unique beauty and show it off, then maybe I can help them feel more comfortable in their skin. Photography is not just an art form, but also a tool to show the world as it and as it could be.”
Junior Annalee Penny has also worked to incorporate people in her PBL project. Her goal was to compare how differently and uniquely people can view life.
“Photography has given me a new way of looking at life and the world in general and for my project I wanted to be able to capture how other people may view it,” said Penny. “I interviewed people that I love and took quotes from what they told me about their view and tried to photograph kind of in their eyes based on what they told me.”
Other students have taken a more nostalgic approach to their projects. Senior Madelyn Jones has focused on her childhood experiences.
“My Photography III project for this art show was centered around the roads I grew up on, Turkey Hill and Maple Swamp,” she said. “I really wanted to show how nostalgic these roads are to me and how they represent childhood and growth. I drive on them every day of my life and can notice something new every time, and with the photos I wanted to bring this to life. It was really all about capturing future nostalgia in current photos.”
Junior Libby Pearson’s project was inspired by photojournalism and student life at RCHS.
“For my Photography III project I chose to focus on photojournalism and capturing special experiences. I wanted to work on photographing victorious moments during sports games, pep rallies, and so much more,” said Pearson.
For more information on the art show, contact Brian Hamelman at brian_hamelman@ rockbridge.k12.va.us.
RCHS PHOTOGRAPHY students participating in this week’s art show include (from left) Madelyn Jones, Annalee Penny, River Jenkins, Libby Pearson and Claire Sigler.
