The Guiding Light Mentorship Program - 2020

The Ground Glass Presents
Sustained Investigations
A Virtual Photography Exhibit by
Rye High School Advanced Placement Photography Students

The Ground Glass, a 45-year-old association of fine art photographers based at the Rye Arts Center in Rye, NY, has launched an outreach program called The Guiding Light. This year the program teamed with students in the Advanced Placement Photography course at Rye High School to provide supplementary instruction via mentorship and lectures, culminating in an exhibit of student portfolios at the Rye Arts Center Gallery. Unfortunately, the latter part of the program was curtailed due to the pandemic and, instead of a physical exhibition, we present a virtual gallery of the students' work.

The title of this exhibit, Sustained Investigations, is derived from an underlying concept of the College Board AP Art and Design Course. The course guides students through an inquiry-based approach to learning about and making art. Students conducted an in-depth “sustained investigation” during the school year that involved practice, experimentation, and revision using materials, processes, and ideas. The course focuses on three fundamental ideas about art that formed the basis for in-depth study. The ideas are posed to students as the following questions:

1. What informs artists in their process of making art?
2. How do artists make works of art?
3. How do artists present their work to viewers?

Over their year of study, students created a portfolio of their own work demonstrating development of materials, processes and ideas. Portfolios include works of art, process documentation and written information about the work presented.

The Sustained Investigations exhibit represents a selection of photographic images from each student’s personal portfolio of work.