Bay Street Theater Opens Exhibition Of Photographs By Pierson High School Students

Bay Street Theater & Sag Harbor Center for the Arts has announced an exhibition of street photography by students of Pierson High School, Our Town, is on view in the lobby at Bay Street Theater from now through February. An opening reception to celebrate the work and Bay Street's collaboration with the Pierson Arts Department will be held HarborFrost Weekend on Saturday, February 4, from 4 to 5 p.m. at Bay Street. The works will be on view during Box Office Hours, Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays on show days. Admission is free.

Over several months, Pierson High School photography students studied composition and what truly makes an effective photograph. Inspired by the works of Vivian Maier, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Joel Meyer, Allan Schaller, Steve McCurry, and earlier candid works of Annie Leibovitz, the students focused on compositional rules like frame-within-a-frame, symmetry, repetition, and rule of thirds. Students are in Grades 10 through 12, and are in the Advanced Photography and Photography classes of Elizabeth Cataletto.

"Regardless of the subject, a photograph should have a narrative," said Pierson High School Photography teacher, Elizabeth Cataletto. "When Bay Street asked us to collaborate on an exhibition, we took a look at weeks worth of our street (candid) work, and decided on the best photographs that would give the essence of Sag Harbor."

"The show is, in a sense, a collection of work that shows Sag Harbor through the lens of high school students and what they deemed important about our town. There is a diversity to the work, varying photographic styles, and yet there is a sense of connection and collaboration to the show in its entirety."

Bay Street Theater's Executive Director Tracy Mitchell reiterated that collaboration really is the right word, given the work itself, as well as partnering with Pierson's students. "We are honored to showcase such wonderful insights into Sag Harbor life from the vantage point of our youth. There are definitely great artistic talents amongst them, and I think anyone who attends will find the work is very accessible to all."

Bay Street Theater is a year-round, not-for-profit professional theater and community cultural center, which endeavors to innovate, educate, and entertain a diverse community through the practice of the performing arts. It serves as a social and cultural gathering place, an educational resource, and a home for a community of artists.