Eye on Houston: High School Documentary Photography (2013) February 3–June 2, 2013
Gracie Riveiros, Family Night, 2012, inkjet print, Chavez High School. © Gracie Riveiros
Brianna Prejean, Daily Routine, 2012, inkjet print, Yates High School. © Brianna Prejean
Victoria Harris, Friends, 2012, gelatin silver print, Yates High School. © Victoria Harris
Ozerria Thomas, Brothers, 2012, gelatin silver print, Yates High School. © Ozerria Thomas
Irma Chavez, The Air We Breathe, 2012, inkjet print, Chavez High School. © Irma Chavez
Osiel Jimenez, Sunset over Glenbrook, 2012, inkjet print, Chavez High School. © Osiel Jimenez
Eye on Houston is an annual collaboration between the MFAH and area high schools to document and celebrate the city’s diverse neighborhoods. This year, students from two HISD schools—Cesar E. Chavez High School and Jack Yates High School—photographed daily life in their communities, and also captured personal moments that reflect their sense of self, their future, and their imminent transition into adulthood.
Chavez High School is located in Houston's East End. A large area between the eastern edge of downtown and the Port of Houston, the East End was the site of Houston’s early industrial growth. It is home to many of the city’s oldest Mexican-American neighborhoods, as well as Harrisburg, the seat of government for the Republic of Texas in 1836.
Yates High School is located in the Third Ward, a Houston neighborhood surrounded by two universities, the Medical Center, the Museum District, and Interstate 45. A historically black community, the Third Ward is home to many important political, cultural, and educational organizations as well as strong religious and community groups.
The "Eye on Houston: High School Documentary Photography" exhibition receives generous funding from the CFP Foundation and the Junior League of Houston, Inc.
All education programs at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, receive endowment income from funds provided by Caroline Wiess Law; the National Endowment for the Humanities; the William Randolph Hearst Foundation; the Fondren Foundation; BMC Software, Inc.; the Wallace Foundation; the Louise Jarrett Moran Bequest; the Neal Myers and Ken Black Children’s Art Fund; the Favrot Fund; and Gifts in honor of Beth Schneider.