Emerge – Student Photography Exhibition

For the eighth exciting year we are proud to present Emerge, our annual exhibition featuring works from student photographers enrolled in Arizona high schools, community colleges, art schools, and universities across the state. Ashley Czajkowski, a local photography-based artist and educator, juried this year’s show.

In this exhibition we offer student photographers an opportunity to show their work in a professional gallery, fulfilling our mission to support early-career photographers. In addition to the exhibition, prizes will be awarded for Best in Show, sponsored by Through Each Other’s Eyes; Best of Post-High School, sponsored by Charlene Stant Engel; and Best of High School, sponsored by Kelly and Dennis Collins. 

About the Juror

Ashley Czajkowski, a photography-based artist, works in a number of interdisciplinary methods. Driven by personal experience, her research explores social constructions related to femininity, mortality and the psychological manifestation of the human-animal.  Though she considers herself a photographer, Czajkowski also works in video, installation, and alternative print processes, pushing the expected boundaries of the photographic art medium.

Juror’s Statement

One of the most valuable rewards of studying photography is that it enables us to literally, and metaphorically, see the world around us in entirely new ways. In jurying this show, I was struck by the unique visions of these young photographers and artists. Whether this way of seeing revealed quiet moments of light and shadow or elaborately constructed scenes for the camera, the ability to use photography as a tool for exploration and creative expression was continuous throughout.

Though I did not set out to curate a show with a particular theme, a common thread began to reveal itself. Of the photographs I selected, there are many images of humans, of nature, and most curiously, of the boundaries where these two entities meet, overlap and coexist. I found myself responding to images that in some way question our current conditions of being: questions of human nature, our impact on our surroundings, our interactions with each other, and our understanding of ourselves. Almost like archaeologists of our own time, for me these photographs collectively evoke ideas related to the fragility of existence and a sense of wonder in the everyday.

– Ashley Czajkowski

Emerge 2018 Sponsors

Thank you to our generous sponsors who make our “Best of Emerge” awards possible! Our sponsors’ support of student photographers helps us share the unforgettable experience of participating in a professional exhibition, a confidence boost that can vault an emerging photographer to their next level of success.

Best in Show: $250 cash prize
Sponsored by Through Each Other’s Eyes
Through Each Other’s Eyes develops exchanges with photographers in other countries for the purpose of documenting photographically a new culture from the viewpoint of an outsider.

Best of High School: $100 cash prize
Sponsored by Kelly and Dennis Collins
Kelly and Dennis Collins are local artists, art patrons, and Art Intersection members.

“After quitting school at sixteen, it wasn’t until I returned for my Bachelor of Fine Arts at forty-five that I realized how important the education I had missed was. I hope this small gift is the catalyst and encouragement for a young artist to pursue their education and passion for their art.” – Dennis Collins

Best of Post-High School: $100 cash prize
Sponsored by Charlene Stant Engel
Charlene Stant Engel is a local artist, art patron, and Art Intersection member.

“I look forward to the Emerge Show. Every year it is fresh and unexpected. It always makes me smile to see the work of so many intense and talented young artists. To them I say: Let nothing stop you. Keep making Art!” – Charlene Stant Engel

Emerge 2018

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Header image: Attainment, Granville Lee Carroll