On Sunday May 4, the Rockbridge County High School Photography III Honors students will present their second annual Barn Burner event, a one-day art show inside a barn, featuring student photography.
The event will be held at The Barn at Wades Mill, 55 Kennedy Wade’s Mill Loop, Raphine, and will run from 3 to 5 p.m.
Throughout the school year, photography students have been working hard on their Project Based Learning (PBL) projects. Students will cu- rate and display their own photographs in a culmination of all the work they’ve done so far in high school.
Photography III Honors students Georgie Willis (12th grade), Alya Hogan (12th grade), Makaylie Poulin (11th grade), Jade Hudson (12th grade), and Photography IV Honors student River Jenkins (12th grade) will be showcasing their work during this event.
“[In my project], I focus on my individuality and the aspects that make me, like my community,” Hogan said. “I have three different projects for my book that I will be presenting and it goes in the order: who could I be, my community, and how can I present nostalgia for the people close to me.”
As with Hogan, Poulin is focusing on a topic for her PBL that is very personal to her.
“I am focusing on what I am going to miss when I leave for college and mix it with family adventures. For my second question, I worked on how the military affects a person’s life. My first question focused on emotion and things that are out of place,” Poulin said.
One of the photos that Poulin took of Veterans Day ended up winning the Silver Key award, a regional Scholastic Art and Writing award.“My favorite part of my project is it tells a story and shows my life. I really love the process of finding a good image and finding my main focus,” said Poulin. “I want to take photos that inspire people and make them want to do photography.”
Willis was inspired by the area around him for his PBL.
“I focus on the beauty of my area and the things that are unique about it. I would say my favorite part of this project was highlighting cool parts of my area that are otherwise looked over or unseen,” he said.
Hudson shares that this project has helped her discover beauty from unexpected places and turn it into beautiful photos.
“My project focuses on showing that things people usually see as unpleasant like abandoned buildings, old cars, or run down areas can actually be beautiful. I take photos of these subjects in a way that highlights interesting details, lighting, textures, and angles,” said Hudson. “Instead of just showing what’s broken, I try to capture what makes it unique. The goal is to change how people see these kinds of places and help them realize that beauty isn’t always obvious.”
Jenkins is the only Photography IV student in the class. He has chosen a project that reflects parts of himself.
“My project is focused on more intimate portraits of myself and people around me, as well as alternative film processes. My favorite part of my work is that I can experiment and try new, fun things in the darkroom and continue learning,” Jenkins said.
In addition to the art showcase, there will be free gelato donated by Pronto, live music by a RCHS student jazz brand, Half-Brassed, a food truck, and Food Connoisseur based out of Fairfield.
