Black & White Images Exhibition Opens

January 28th 2022

This year marks the 34th consecutive year for Fort Worth Country Day’s Black & White Images Competition and Exhibition. Sponsored by the FWCD Visual Arts Department, Black & White Images provides a forum for exhibiting student photographers from regional private and public high schools, allowing them an opportunity to exchange ideas, receive recognition and display outstanding photography.

The exhibition is on display in the Bass Upper School Gallery (second floor) from Monday, January 31, through Friday, February 18, and will be live on the Black & White Images Exhibition webpage beginning February 5. Six FWCD students have accepted works in five of the eight categories.

Those six students are:

Brooke Baldwin ’24 in Photo Essay
Kendall Lehman ’22, Portrait
Alexis Rollings ’23, Architecture
Laura Marques ’24, Architecture
Luke Tierce ’24, Nature
Vivian Todora ’23, Photo Essay

The 2022 competition consisted of 494 entries from 16 of the finest photography programs in the DFW metroplex. The exhibit will feature 82 images with 46 receiving awards at the upcoming reception in the Upper School Commons on Saturday, February 5, at 3 p.m. Winners in each category will be announced beginning at 3:30 p.m. This year’s adjudicator, Ted Forbes, will also speak.

A photographer and filmmaker who produces the YouTube Channel called The Art of Photography, Forbes is, above all, a passionate lover of photography whose knowledge of photo history and its masters is unsurpassed. The “Artist Series” he produced and directed (available on Amazon Prime), featuring some of the greatest living photographers, is a reference in the art community.

“Ted was on campus this week to select the awardees from the physical prints. He was very impressed with the level of the work, saying many of the photographers displayed maturity beyond the level of a high school student, ‘pro level’ he said of some of the top selections,” noted Upper School Photography Teacher Sil Azevedo. “He is excited to speak on February 5, and we are so lucky to have him. With over 700,000 followers and eight documentaries on Amazon Prime, Ted is somewhat of a celebrity.”

For the competition and exhibition, each school may submit up to 60 images in the following categories, which have remained constant for 34 years:

Architecture
Experimental
Landscape/Cityscape
Nature/Animals
Photo Essay
Photojournalism
Portrait
Still Life

Collectively, the categories represent the range of subject matter found in student artwork. The broad range appeals to students working in a variety of styles, whether it is objective photojournalism or subjective interpretation [fine art photography]. Black-and-white images draw in the viewer and create a sense of mystery and timelessness. No other high school sponsors a black-and-white photography show open to public and private school students in the Denton, Dallas and Tarrant counties.

“It is so exciting to be showing these photographs on our walls once again, Azevedo said. “While the online gallery is wonderful, there is nothing like viewing these images and celebrating the photographers in person. It will be a happy reception for us all.

“We continue to be amazed by the participation of so many students and by the high level of the entries, even in challenging times,” he continued. “Art lifts us up. Art always finds a way.”

Participating Schools