Summit School in Winston-Salem, NC is hosting a student/alumna photography exhibit in which the seventh graders will feature their portraiture along with portrait work I created between the years of 2003 - 2006 in Bangkok, Thailand.  Thank you Martin and Camille for being such a great support and for making this happen!  The new Arts and Technology building has a fabulous gallery space that will be appreciated for years to come.

I graduated from Summit School in 1986.   Almost twenty-five years later I’m finding myself hanging-out in the halls and against the walls again.  Setting up for this exhibit has been a wonderful experience that I’ll admit at moments has brought a little mist to my eyes.  Summit has remarkably blossomed.  The facilities are incredible, the education is rich.  While visiting the new and old halls of Summit, I was deluged by memories.  These are only a few: 

I walked into the (now named) Loma Hopkins Theatre in which I played Georgiana in Jabberwock.  Not only did I have to kiss a boy for the first time in my life but I had to do it ON STAGE. 

The most daunting thing I ever did at Summit was in that same theatre.  I delivered my ninth grade speech to the entire upper school.

I saw the courtyard into which we fifth graders stepped adorned in brown robes after having taken vows of silence for Monk Day.  (I suspect that whoever came up with how to keep fifth graders silent for an entire day became teacher of the year.)

Remembering finally mastering my kip and winning eighth in the state on bars thanks to the best gymnastics coach in the world, Mr. Capers Carlton.

The wall I sometimes sat against as a child, slumped to the floor, where my beloved French teacher, Madame Miranda sent me “Out!” to think about my behavior.

You might say some of these things took courage to pull off (or perhaps Madame might have said “not a wise choice”).  Regardless, while hanging the show I noticed small posters gracing many of the walls on which the word “courage” was boldly written.  Ironically, “courage” happens to be the character trait of the month at Summit, or at least it was that evening.  I love that Summit has such focus and that as the evening got late and Martin and I grew tired that I didn’t have to process too many inspirational themes at once!

But these little signs nicely offered me something through which I could filter my memories.  I reflected on the fact that because of the challenges I faced while I was a student at Summit, I learned to flex my courage and to take perceived risks.  In this way I’ve created a path for myself so that now as an adult I have a body of work to show for it.  Many of the images presented in this exhibit were created by taking risks, sometimes with baby steps and sometimes with larger leaps.

Stepping out to genuinely offer yourself to the world takes courage, and that is exactly what the students at Summit are en-‘couraged’ to practice on a regular basis.  Another opportunity for Summit’s students to practice courage has come in the form of monthly art shows which will take place in their new and impressive Arts and Technology building. 

I’m thrilled and honored to be featured as Summit’s first “outside” community artist for this new gallery space and to present my work across the walls from so many talented young photographers.  I hope a lot of you will be able to visit the show and see the work on display!  The opening will be this Sunday, January 10, 2010 from 3-5 pm.  The exhibit will be up through February 5.  Please come!