Just over a year after its grand opening, the Museum of Art + Light has drawn thousands of visitors to view its cutting-edge art displays. MoA+L has featured a variety of artists from Claude Monet to Rae Stern. Recently, MoA+L hosted a photography competition for middle, high school and college students.
Senior MK Mallean took home second place, while freshman Zoey Bauer and junior William Scharfe earned exhibition honors. Entrants were told to take a photo that embodied the theme “Where I Feel Most ‘Me’.” 170 entries from within a 150 mile radius were received. The top three photos will be projected on the exterior of the museum until March 29.
“I think it’s kind of crazy,” Scharfe said. “I mean, I was just taking photos for class. I never thought I would have them displayed at a museum.”
All three students take Darren Allman’s Photography classes and didn’t even know about the competition until he brought it up.
“I chose to enter the competition because my teacher, Mr. Allman, asked if I wanted to submit some photos,” senior MK Mallean said. “But I’ve enjoyed photography for a really long time, so I just thought it would be a nice opportunity.”
The theme for the competition was highly personalized — nobody could really interpret it the same way.
“I took one [photo] of a flag that was outside the building where my uncle’s funeral was held, which meant a lot to me,” Bauer said.
As Bauer mentioned, a photo carries a vast amount of meaning.
“I’ve always liked photography, because it really reminds me of things that’s in my own mind,” Scharfe said.
Since the theme was so broad, it was difficult to take a photo that truly embodied the theme.
“I was thinking about nostalgia and things that resonate with you the most like people in places,” Mallean said. “So the photo I chose was one I took of neighborhoods around mine when I was walking around with my dad, and I just thought it fit the theme really nicely.”
For these students, photography isn’t just capturing a moment, it’s an art form.
“I enjoy photography,” Mallean said. “I feel like it’s a very creative form of expression, because you can take photos of anything at any time, but there’s always a way to make it look nice and make it creative.”