Johns Hopkins University Honors Local High School Photography

Johns Hopkins University, Montgomery County campus recently honored some local high school students for their photography.

Nearly 250 works of art made by Montgomery County Public School students was submitted. Of those, officials say jurors selected 56 to be showcased- six students won prizes.

An opening reception for the exhibit was recently held on campus where parents, students and community residents gathered to view the art and hear the winners announced. The judge was local designer Michael Auger.

Here are his remarks: 

First Place: Feline Sights by Nathalie Molina of Montgomery Blair High School.
Auger: They say curiosity killed the cat and this piece “killed” in many ways. Choices in design were made to accentuate various contrasting elements including the juxtaposition of black and white, negative and positive space, and grayscale with a pop of vivid green color. It’s these opposing tensions which elevate the piece from a simple feline portrait to an artistic eye-catcher.

2nd Place: Watch Your Back by Zoe Zindash of Quince Orchard High School
Auger: I appreciate the composition and saturated color of this piece, but it’s the amount of story it captures that make it so successful. As the sun dips into the magical time of twilight a girl in a red-hooded cloak has caught sight over her shoulder of… something. Is the dark blur in the foreground a wolf?  The viewer can’t help but be curious. How will this fairy-tale end?

3^rd Place: Into the Woods by Marcus Johnson of Northwest High School
Auger: This setting of this third piece is also an unexpected encounter in the deep, dark woods.  Where many would only see a tree, an artists’ creativity allows them to see a strange monster and, by simply adding a pair of white flares for eyes, the photograph is transformed, and the curious vision is shared with all viewers.   

Honorable Mentions:

Coco by Ana Gutierrez of Winston Churchill High School
Auger: Man’s best friend is often as curious as a cat. In addition to capturing the theme of curiosity in the dog’s expression, I appreciate the composition and cropping of this piece which guide the viewer’s eye as well as the color juxtaposition of complementary colors.

Curious Lines by Noah Karst of Northwest High School
Auger: This piece was fascinating in a number of ways. The corrupted digital nature of the broken lines, the blending of warm and cool, human and animal, are all visually intriguing. The story is a mystery and invites speculation. 

Under the Scope  by Bryce Machaelk of Winston Churchill High School
Auger: A balance of shadow and light, warm and cool, with the subject of scientific curiosity.

The exhibit is one of JHU’s programs designed to get young people excited about STEAM education. The A in STEAM is for “art,” an important component of a well-rounded student’s education. (STEAM is an acronym for Science-Technology-Engineering- Art-Mathematics.)

The works will be on exhibit at the Hopkins Montgomery County Campus through May 10. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

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