Bernard Baltimore, an 18-year-old senior at the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences, has embraced a crucial lesson: “You can make art out of anything.”
This philosophy guided him in creating a unique piece currently exhibited at EXPO Chicago, which runs through Sunday at Navy Pier.
With the guidance of photographer Kat Bawden, Baltimore utilized everyday elements gathered from the school’s greenhouse, including dirt, rocks, and bird feathers.
These objects were arranged on light-sensitive paper, then exposed to sunlight, resulting in a striking silver gelatin photogram titled “Farm Landscape 2.”
Baltimore’s creation is part of a series produced during the Artists in Public Schools’ residency program that pairs established artists with Chicago Public Schools.
This year, the partnership with EXPO Chicago enables students to showcase their work alongside international professional artists, granting them a newfound perspective on their own creative abilities.
“It’s beautiful,” Baltimore remarked about his photogram.
He expressed the disbelief that his work could be displayed in such a prestigious setting, traditionally associated with high-profile artists.
Alongside Baltimore’s work, other students from the agricultural school presented prints inspired by plants, rain, and even rope.
Their artworks are displayed in proximity to photographer Nyia Sissac’s poignant black-and-white portraits of students from Frederick Douglass High School and Michele Clark High School in the Austin neighborhood.
While capturing their images, Sissac not only engaged students in the art of portraiture but also encouraged them to reflect on the concept of legacy through journaling.
Sophia Padgett Pérez, the artistic director at Artists in Public Schools, emphasized the significance of providing students with access to professional artists outside of their standard art teachers.
“It’s really powerful and inspiring, and helps them overcome the idea that maybe they can’t do this,” she stated.
Pérez’s vision is for more young people to recognize their potential and have role models who support their artistic endeavors.
For the professional artists involved, the residency offers profound rewards as well.
Bawden, who comes from a farming family, inspired the agricultural school students to explore the transformations of life and nature through the photography process.
“I wanted to tap into their collective knowledge of how their farm works and introduce new ways to experience the natural environment,” Bawden shared.
She integrated writing exercises into the program, reinforcing the connection between observation and expression.
“When you see their photographs develop, it has been meaningful for them,” Bawden noted.
Similarly, photographer Nyia Sissac gleaned insights about her subjects through their written reflections, which imbued her portraits with depth.
“You see their laughter, joy, pain, sorrow, happiness, and their love of photography that they put into this,” Sissac explained.
Sissac aims to highlight the softer aspects of Black joy by intentionally capturing some students with flowers.
“I feel like a lot of the time, we aren’t allowed to be soft,” she remarked.
While some students initially felt apprehensive about being photographed, Sissac observed a transformation in their self-perception as they viewed her work.
Her goal was to help them see themselves as greater, stronger, and more important than they might have believed.
For 10th-grader Meyasia Embrey, Sissac’s photography shifted her previous outlook on being photogenic.
“She knows how to take great photos,” said Embrey, who is 16.
Classmate Kenia Washington found the experience with Sissac fun and refreshing, noting it was a different approach than she had encountered before.
“I usually don’t like taking pictures, but her pictures were fun. And I like the black and white. It brings out your features a little more,” Washington explained.
Padgett Pérez expressed a hope that the collaboration with EXPO Chicago continues to open doors for public school students within the art community.
“Art is for all,” she insisted, underscoring the importance of breaking down barriers in access to artistic expression.
image source from：https://chicago.suntimes.com/art/2025/04/25/chicago-public-school-student-artists-see-their-work-at-expo-chicago-navy-pier
