Gentry student has photos published in NYT ‘ Lens’

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

GENTRY - When “Lens,” a New York Times photography blog, looked to teenagers across America to help them create a 21st Century portrait of America, one young Gentry photographer responded.

“Juan Perez Bejar entereda contest through the New York Times called ‘My Home Town.’ It was a project for students to show theirhome towns,” said Terrie Metz, assistant principal at Gentry High School. “JJ’s (Juan’s) pictures were selected. There were 3,000 entries and only 145 made it.”

JJ’s photos of Gentry were published in “Lens” and will be archived at the Library of Congress. They may be viewed at: http:// www.nytimes.com/ projects/2013/lens-my-hometown/ ?state=AR&page=1.

According to the New York Times blog, they were looking to high school students “to help create a 21stcentury portrait of America, turning their cameras on their neighborhoods, families, friends and schools.”

“We are hoping the project will allow young people from bustling cities, Rust Belt towns and rural outposts to capture their communities in all their complexities - from portraits and fl eeting moments to sweeping landscapes and quiet insights,” the post stated.

”There were a few things that made me really want to enter this contest,” JJ said, “but the main reason why was just the idea of exposing my hometown. This is a simple and humble community, and it has always been there for me.”

“I thought I wasn’t going to make it at all at fi rst,” JJ said. “I remember how my friend from California told me she won - she’s the one that told me about the contest in the fi rst place. Then I panicked and I started looking (online) for my photographs. At first I couldn’t find them. Then I clicked on ‘Search by State,’ and that’s how I found out. I started jumping all over my room and celebrating with my dog while he was staring at me in vague confusion,” JJ said.

News, Pages 3 on 10/16/2013