Student exhibit showcases Third Ward community

By Vy Nguyen

Jack Yates High-Magnet School of Communication exhibits its ninth edition of "Eye on Third Ward: Yates High School Photography" at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. "Eye on Third Ward" is an exhibit that showcases Yates photography students' perspective of the Third Ward area. Ray Carrington III, Yates High School photography teacher, and his photography students have been documenting the Third Ward area since 1993. The idea behind this project was to give the students a chance to look at their neighborhood in a different light. Carrington and his students walk the neighboring streets of their community almost every school day photographing aspects they feel are meaningful in their eyes. "I'm not from the Third Ward, so I have learned a lot about it walking the neighborhood," said Ebony Craven, Yates photography student. "Mr. Carringron is always telling us something about the history of the Third Ward." The documentation ritual of Carrington and his photography students generated the attention of many influential establishments in Houston. In 1993 Texas Commerce Bank, now known as Chase Bank, noticed the potential of the magnet students' photographs and decided to display them at the bank. "The pictures that we were doing caught the attention of Texas Commerce Bank, which is now Chase Bank, and they wanted to put it up at the bank," Carrington said. "And so we did." After the photographs first appeared at Chase Bank, they quickly gained recognition among the community and were exhibited at many other local banks and public places in the Houston area. Word of the photos taken by the Yates students reached the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and they contacted Carrington for a preview. "The Museum of Fine Arts heard about [the photos] being at Chase Bank and came to my room to see the photos that had been at Chase Bank," Carrington said. "Right when they saw the pictures they said, ‘Oh, we have to give you your own show.'" The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston devoted a section of its museum to the Yates photography students in 1993 and has continually exhibited new photos of the Third Ward each year since. "The museum has been looking for a teacher who was interested in working with the medium of photography and teen-agers at the high school level who would approach the documentary perspective of photography," said George Ramirez, assistant education director at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. "We were able to identify Mr. Carrington and approached him to see if he wanted to collaborate with us on a number of projects. From there, the relationship has been going on since." Each year the school sends hundreds of photos to the museum for the education director to review and decide which to exhibit. The current exhibit of "Eye on Third Ward" is notable for its many portraits of houses. The photos featured in the exhibit are black and white and capture the Third Ward community well. The photos are simple, yet make a powerful statement. The focus of the photos centers on the people of Third Ward and their surroundings. Houses, places of business, people who live in the community and Highway 45 are frequent subjects of the photography students. The students' writings, describing the places and people in the photographs, are exhibited with the photos. The photo contents illustrate to individuals outside the Third Ward area its simplicity and historical meaning. The Third Ward area is historically an African-American community consisting of lower middle-class citizens. Also housed in the community are many important political, cultural and educational organizations. The Third Ward community has preserved many of the establishments built in its area more than 30 years ago and continues to maintain those places. "The city will soon change the name of the Third Ward and call it Midtown instead, since the area has grown so much since the 1930s," Carrington said. "The old Third Ward community, as we know it, will soon be changed. What my students and I are doing, I believe, will be very important later." Students agree in the importance of their work. "It has been a great honor to have my photograph [exhibited] at the MFA," said Deadrick Jackson, a Yates photography student. "Last year when I made it, it was great. This year has been even better because I have been able to show the Third Ward from another perspective. We [the class] think we are doing something important." "Eye on Third Ward" is on exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston through Dec. 29. For ticket information and exhibit dates, call the museum at (713) 639-7300.