Captured in the moment: documenting society at DSA
​ BY LIAM JONES

     Students line outside a studio, where a photographer sits, ready to capture subjects in every detail. As the photographer takes various pictures throughout the day, a portrait of a community begins to develop.

     Bill Bamberger is an award winning photographer and documentarian who uses his art to capture subjects who are caught in a changing, complex world. At DSA, he is currently working on the third version of his project “Boys will be men”, an exploration of masculinity consisting of photo portraits and interviews with students.

     “He began work on this project at the private Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts between 1984 and 1986, and he revisited it in 2000 as artist-in-residence at the public Flint Central High in Flint, Michigan… In the third version, he will be working with students here at DSA,” Jordan Watson, an art teacher at DSA, said.

     As time has passed since Bamberger began his project in the 80s, societal assumptions about gender and masculinity have changed. His current iteration of the project attempts to document modern changes in the relationship between growing up and masculinity.

     “[This iteration] will be similar in that it explores the same themes of maleness and masculinity we looked at in the past two iterations of the project. It will differ as our society’s understanding and expression of gender has evolved in many ways since I began this project many years ago,” Bill Bamberger, the photographer behind the project, stated. The project is open to any students identifying as male interested in a photoshoot throughout the year. Anyone interested can go to the studio set up for the project directly next to Mr. Watson’s room to have a portrait professionally taken of them.

     “Any student, grade 9-12, who identifies as male, is welcome to come to the studio for a portrait session… We will always ask your permission to take your portrait and invite you to come to the studio to help us select and edit images from your photo shoot,” Bamberger remarked.

     While the project primarily focuses on masculinity, involvement is open to all DSA students. Anyone interested, regardless of gender, can choose to help with a variety of elements of the project.

     “In past iterations of the project, students participated in nearly every aspect of the photography from setting up the studio and lighting for portrait sessions, to scouting locations on campus, to editing, printing, and helping to curate the images for exhibition. We’d love to create the same level of involvement here at DSA,” Bamberger commented.

     At an art school like DSA, having a professional photographer on campus can be an interesting look into what art projects can look like on a professional level. Students can also get a glimpse into the process of creating art from an expert.

     “Students can learn a lot about the artistic process from Mr. Bamberger… [They] can see just how much work goes into developing a body of work. So much of the work we do in school is based on class assignments, which are over as soon as you get a grade. To be an artist requires dedication to an idea and time spent developing that idea, and working with people to make it happen,” Watson concluded.
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PHOTO CREDIT: LIAM JONES
Bamberger set up a temporary studio adjacent to Mr. Watson’s room 207 in the middle school building. Any student identifying as male can come to have their picture taken in his studio.