This June, the Jackson-Reed Photography Club had their work featured in the DuPont Circle art gallery, the Phillips Collection, as part of a collection of student work inspired by photographer Frank Stewart. This collection ran parallel to “Frank Stewart’s Nexus,” an exhibit containing Stewart’s work.
Photography Club sponsor Grover Massenburg explained that the Phillips Collection showcased student work last year in a similar program, so they contacted him again.
He explained how organizations like the Phillips Collection should continue to uplift student voices and work. “We have to meet the students and communities where they’re at.” Massenburg urges other local museums and organizations to “continue to reach out.”
When students visited their work in the museum on June 16, Stewart was also present, and he conducted a Q&A with members of the Photography Club while viewing their work.
In an interview, Stewart explained how happy it makes him to see the work of young photographers presented, but that it’s impossible to predict the direction the field is going. “10-20 years ago, if you told me that digital [photography] was going to completely evaporate film [photography], I’d say ‘aw, man, you’ve gotta be crazy.’”
Senior Max Bosquet explained how much it meant to see his work displayed in the Collection. “It feels pretty surreal,” he said. “To see it in a public place where people are actually visiting, where possibly hundreds of people could see my work is really cool.”
Bosquet added how amazing it is that the Collection is elevating student work in this way, especially for up-and-coming photographers. “It’s not easy to get your work into exhibits,” he stated. The Collection is allowing students to start somewhere, and build footing in the artwork community.
The Photography Club’s work will be available to view in the Phillips Collection through September 3, alongside the exhibition of Stewart’s work.
