Lincoln-Way Central High School student Jacob Kaehr has set out to capture the beauty in the spaces society has left behind.
For the past seven months the 17-year-old from the New Lenox school has been exploring the southwest suburbs looking for old, abandoned places that, in the right sunlight, grab his imagination.
Kaehr’s tool is the Nikon D90 and he hopes it will deliver not only what he sees, but what he feels in a place.
“(With a camera) you get to capture whatever beauty or whatever you love right there in the moment,” he said.
Now, Kaehr is looking for some exposure for his work so others can discover the allure and charm of these abandoned places.
He receives some recognition through his Instagram account, @_jkofficial_, but a recent opportunity in Tinley Park led to his first ever showcase in a public art exhibition.
Kaehr was one of dozens of students from area schools whose work was featured in an exhibit throughout most of November at the Vogt Visual Arts Center in Tinley Park. The exhibit closed Saturday.
Gallery director Julie Dekker said the center has been showcasing student annually for a nearly a decade.
She said not only does the center provide exposure for the student’s work outside of a school environment, but the public display encourages students to grow as an artist.
“It makes you want to do better,” Dekker said.
She said the students tend to scrutinize their work more when it’s more than family members or teachers looking at it.
Dekker said the young artists will stare at their piece in the gallery and “see every flaw in it” and think about how to do better next time.
She said 137 pieces from students from Lincoln-Way Central, Lincoln-Way East in Frankfort, Lincoln-Way West in New Lenox and Andrew High School in Tinley Park were on display at the center. Several artists entered two of their works.
And a few artists, Dekker said, have had pieces in the show all four years they’ve been in high school, such as Lincoln-Way Central High School student Russell Klopp.
Kaehr’s piece was among the handful of photographic works on display.
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His entry depicted an abandoned farmhouse off Kankakee Road in Manhattan. Kaehr said the color was “on point” and one can really notice the decay of the building offset by the woodland setting.
Some of the works were self portraits done in black-and-white or colored pencils. Others were surreal, reminiscent of the work of famed artist Salvador Dali.
And some drawings were of popular characters, such as Pennywise, the horrifying clown from the book and movie “It,” drawn by Amanda Baird, a junior at Lincoln-Way East.
Dekker said all students are encouraged to submit their work to the center’s regular open art shows throughout the year because they’re not just for adults.
Kaehr said he plans to submit pieces for the center’s photography show in March.
Kaehr’s parents, Al and Tricia Burcheri, and Kaehr’s brother, Justin, 9, were on hand Saturday for the closing day of the exhibit.
“These kids have some talent, all of them,” Tricia Burcheri said.
Al Burcheri is not surprised his son would use the camera as his creative outlet since he’s loved using it his entire life.
“Every time we go on vacation he’s always the one with the camera,” he said. “And sometimes, we find him lying on the ground taking a picture of a beetle.”
Kaehr is not certain what he wants to do after high school, but he’s certain of one thing.
“I’ll definitely be taking pictures the rest of my life,” he said.
Frank Vaisvilas is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.