Focal Point

From February to May 2023, the Phillips Education Department, through its Art Links school partnership program, worked with classroom teachers at three DC schools to design photography projects that met the unique needs of each class. Using Frank Stewart’s Nexus: An American Photographer’s Journey, 1960s to the Present as a springboard to create images that offer a window into their lives, students created the 90 artworks on view in this exhibition. 

Turner Elementary School’s Medical & Educational Support students painted with light to produce images that capture their movement and energy. Middle school students at Washington School for Girls investigated the expressive power of studio portraiture and experimented with composition to reveal their distinct personalities. Students from Jackson Reed High School Photography Club told biographies of people and places through their photographs. Inspired by Frank Stewart, each student brought their own unique perspectives to create photographs that tell stories about themselves and their communities.

School Participants

Turner Elementary School, DC - Medical & Educational Support Grades Kindergarten, 1, 2 
Washington School for Girls, DC - Grades 6, 7, 8 
Jackson Reed High School, DC - Photography Club

IMAGE: Cimafunk by Max Bosquet, Jackson Reed High School