Selected Shots at Hyde Park Art Center

by Mali Anderson

Knowing that showing work is essential for artists, youth art exhibitions should be encouraged at every age. University students hang artwork in union galleries. Children tape drawings and paintings to family refrigerators. But what happens in between? What about art made by teens?

Benjamin Jaffe, Art Instructor at Kenwood Academy, a Chicago Public High School, is helping to fill the gap. Curator of Selected Shots, a student photography show at the Hyde Park Art Center, Jaffe is bringing high school photography to the public. The project, currently in its fifth year, initially featured artwork solely from Kenwood Academy. Since it’s inception the exhibition has grown and this year’s show includes work from other high schools too, such as Lane Technical and King Preparatory.

Choosing imagery, considering presentation and receiving feedback enables young artists to consider their work with a fresh perspective. These acts of critical thinking are crucial to development.

“Art teaches us how to problem solve on a very tangible level,” says Jaffe. “I believe that introducing young students to the world of art gives them a vocabulary and a unique set of skills that they can then use to better understand the world around them.”

Accepting that art instruction is integral to education—artistic principles being advantageous whether a student chooses an occupation in the arts or a career in business or science— Jaffe guides his students towards high standards. Illustrating that the arts can help students excel professionally, Jaffe mentions a leading paleontologist he knows at the University of Chicago. The scientist credits his artistic training with giving him a substantial benefit over his peers. Because of his background in the arts, the paleontologist “is able to observe subtle details in a way that others simply overlook. He is able to construct scenarios to figure out how an ancient animal was constructed, locomoted, and foraged. With these advantageous skill sets he has since become a world renowned leader in his field.”

Across the country art education programs have diminished. Examples of successful art departments are invaluable for the struggle to reinstate funding. Kenwood Academy, and instructors like Jaffe, are proving teenagers have the desire, motivation and skill to succeed in artistic pursuits when given the opportunity. Offering instruction in both traditional darkroom techniques as well as digital photography, the school exposes students to the many possibilities of creative expression and encourages them to cultivate their own artistic style. Students are able to explore techniques and identify processes that interest them before entering a university program.

In addition to the annual Selected Shots exhibition, Jaffe is curating a show of scholarship winning students for the Art Institute of Chicago and Jaffe’s home school, Kenwood Academy, has installed its own art gallery. The exhibition space gives young artists an opportunity to show a larger body of work, share photographs with an audience unable to attend off campus exhibitions and allows students insight into gallery participation. These curatorial experiences prove themselves worthwhile when students begin submitting work to larger venues.

Jaffe says the “new gallery has been made possible by several grants including The Oppenheimer Foundation and The McCormick Foundation. These generous organizations have allowed me to generate an entirely new program that will allow students to run their own museum gallery within the walls of the school.”

Unlike other group shows, curated around an idea or theme, shows like Selected Shots are driven solely by a desire to highlight student talent. Young artists explore different subject matter and media with ambition. Their goal? To contribute to the arts. And this initial act of participation is a first step toward professionalism.

Attendees of Selected Shots will see photographs in a variety of styles and media created by over twenty young artists. Some of the students are interested in traditional photography while others explore image manipulation techniques and non-traditional production methods. While the framing will be somewhat standardized, the content of each mount will be unique.

“Most of those who attend are amazed that the show is created by teens. In scope, depth and concept, these young artists are profound, controversial, and ethereal all in the same show. I do believe that there is something for everyone at this years show,” continues Jaffe.

Why plan a trip to the Hyde Park Art Center Selected Shots exhibition? Because it is an opportunity to cheer on young artists, art education programs and the work of art instructors. Besides, visiting Selected Shots may be an opportunity to remind yourself how far you’ve come. And possibly grab a glimpse of the next big thing.

Selected Shots will run April 25-August 15 in Gallery 2 of the Hyde Park Art Center. For more information visit the Hyde Park Art Center web site at www.hydeparkart.org.