Evolution of Art: Reception for Fresh Eyes

JEB Stuart teachers, students and families
 enjoying Fresh Eyes reception.

Photographs on display in Fresh Eyes exhibit

JEB Stuart students enjoying the reception

Here we are at Beanetics Coffee Roasters for a very exciting art reception: Fresh Eyes by JEB Stuart Photography Students.  Before everyone arrives, I had a few minutes to speak with JEB Stuart's Fine Arts Department Chair, Kate Wallestad.

According to Wallestad, who joined the school 7 years ago, the photography program has doubled in enrollment, with approximately 125 students currently involved. This show represents the work of students in Photography 1, Photography 2, and IB Advanced Photography.  In most cases, students participating in this exhibit have taken classes with Kate Wallestad, Charles Agel, Laura Muizneiks, and Allison Dreon.

While Advanced Photo Shows are typical for JEB Stuart art students, this exhibit is particularly exciting because it is the first one held outside of school. How exciting for Beanetics and the Evolution of Art series to be the first to host such an exhibit!

The students are beginning to arrive and Natlie Runnerstrom, a sophomore taking Photo 2, has agreed to chat with me. Natalie has two pieces in the show:  Bite Me (a dog chewing a bone), and  King of the Hill ( a tree in a mountainous area in the Shenandoah Valley).

Here's what Natalie has to say about the JEB Stuart arts program and her interest in art:

I've always liked art since I took art classes in middle school. I was always drawing, doodling, and painting so I signed up for Art 1. But it turned out that I didn't really like the class so I switched to Photo 1 to be with friends and in a more enjoyable class environment. I found out that I really liked taking pictures. Photography is like any other form of art... all artists have a favorite medium. For me, it's taking pictures. When you take a picture you have a particular point of view, an image in mind, and then it's really interesting to manipulate it and often the final result is better than the original idea.  Next year, I'm signed up to do IB Visual Arts, involving both photography and painting for the first half of the year, learning specific techniques, and then the second half of the year involves doing your own projects, developing the techniques at a deeper level. I am definitely thinking about pursuing art as a major in college and as  my career.

I've had the pleasure of chatting with another student, Ann Nguyen, another Photography 2 students. Her piece, Uncertaintree, is the second piece when you walk in the door. You can't miss it... It is purposely blurry.

The photo was originally taken for a landscape project.... scenic backgrounds, photos of trees...  I don't usually take pictures of trees; I'm more of a  portrait photographer. For example, recently I took headshots for the JEB Stuart spring musical, The Music Man. Currently I am working on a personal project of free senior portraits as a way to help other students and create a portfolio for my application to the IB program. 

The tree that I was photographing for the landscape project had a lovely fence around it, but the criteria  required for the assignment banned man-made objects in the photo. So I decided to do bokeh (intentionally blurring a photograph to make the multiple circled background) to obscure the fence. It turned out really well because of the lighting. Bokeh is usually effective when light seeps through objects or there's enough difference between background and foreground, with a prominent object in the foreground.

As for Ann's future, she plans to pursue art in college. "I think I'll always be doing art. Art will always be important, critical, fundamental, essential, and prominent in my life."

Another student who's work is on display is Caroline McLoughlin. She is a junior, taking Photo 1. She has two pieces in the exhibit:  Christmas Eve in Washington ( a photo of the Capital taken by Caroline on Chiristmas eve) and Rainbow Spinner ( looks like ribbons flying in all directions). Caroline says she took Photo 1 as an elective just because it's something she's interested in.

I've always really been interested in photography and when the opportunity arose for me to take the class as an elective, I took it.  In the summer of 2008, I took a two-week photography class to fill time, and found out I really enjoyed it. 

Next year, Caroline will take Visual Arts SL1 ( IB Arts) as well as Photography 2. Caroline plans to attend VCU and major  in the arts program... making photography her career.