‘Our Town’ Highlights the Student Perspective

Bay Street Theater will present “Our Town,” an exhibition of street photography by students of Pierson High School. The show is on view in the lobby at Bay Street Theater now through February. An opening reception to celebrate the work and Bay Street’s collaboration with the Pierson arts department will be held during HarborFrost Weekend on Saturday, February 4, from 4 to 5 p.m.

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 teacher Elizabeth Cataletto.

“Regardless of the subject, a photograph should have a narrative,” said 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,” she added. “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,” said Mitchell. “There are definitely great artistic talents amongst them, and I think anyone who attends will find the work is very accessible to all.”

The student works are on view during Bay Street Theater’s box office hours, Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays on show days. Admission is free. Bay Street Theater is on Long Wharf in Sag Harbor.