Photographs by students from Phoenix Rising are currently on display at ahha Tulsa. The exhibition, called Expressing your Voice through Photography, is the end product of a five-week class taught by local photographer, Anitra Lavahar, through the Artists in Schools program. Students learned about composition and honed their skills on field trips around Tulsa in early 2019.

“This is all cell phone photography which is really impressive,” said ahha Director of Communications Lauren Teague Collins. “I like that it is that's something that they can take into their lives. They're not necessarily tied to special equipment. A lot of people have trouble accessing that. This is just something they have in their pocket, and they can use that skill moving forward.”

The photographs feature self-portraits, nature, architecture, fine art, and family. The class gave the students a chance to learn outside a traditional classroom setting.

“Phoenix Rising does a lot of learning accommodations and modifications for all different learning styles, and what we know is that the arts really play a good role in reaching students who might need some modifications,” said Lauren. “Research tells us that the arts can really unlock a different part of your brain. And so, what I see when I look at these pieces are students really discovering a different way to look at things and really taking what they've learned in the classroom and putting that in their art. There are some really amazing pieces here. “

The exhibition will be up through March 22, 2021 in The Community Gallery. All the photographs are for sale to benefit the students and the museum’s educational programs.