A display of photos along the walls of Love Elementary School. Click to see more images from the exhibit.
Celebrating cultural diversity and heritage throughout the city of Houston is the theme for the Love Elementary School art exhibit “In the Eyes of Our Children: Houston: An American City.” which debuted Tuesday, March 26.
The exhibit, which is open to the public, features over 60 photographs by 20 Love Elementary students as part of the Pozos Art Project. Founded in spring of 2011 by Rice University Professor and photographer Geoff Winningham, the Pozos Art Project provides local students the opportunity to collectively photograph the city of Houston, cultural heritage and everyday life.
“Kids naturally do surprising and spontaneous things in what they choose to photograph and how they photograph it” explained Winningham. “They surprise me, and surprise is the essence of great art.”
Through this project, Winningham and Love art teacher Elizabeth Jordan teach students to use digital cameras to photograph their homes, families, friends and neighborhoods. Students have also learned about the basic skills of digital photography, and along with Winningham and Jordan, take photography field trips around Houston and work in the Rice digital photography lab to learn about editing and printing their work.
“We’ve been thrilled with the level and quality of the pictures,” said Jordan. “I’m hoping it will change the way they look at the world. I think it will make them more aware of looking at things in a different way.”
Stunning student photography with captivating captions such as “Good cat, bad cat,” “Mrs. Ducky,” and “The love of my mother and father” currently decorate the halls of Love Elementary School. The exhibit will be open for the next month, and community members are invited to view the artwork.
“As we go on and the kids gain more confidence, they will learn to photograph more of their everyday lives, and that’s when it will really come alive,” said Winningham.