Standout Student: Perpich’s Kamryn Friedrich

At Perpich Center for Arts Education, senior Kamryn Friedrich an eye for photography and a depth that belies her young age.

“I call this lens my baby because it’s a very, very nice lens,” said Friedrich of her camera  

For the 18-year-old Friedrich, her camera provides a way to express her thoughts and emotions. 

“I started thinking about photographs more, not only as something that is just a very accessible tool to remember a moment, but more of a way to experience a moment,” said Friedrich. 

As a senior at Perpich, Friedrich’s work often focuses on people, and since Friedrich’s mother is also a photographer, she often serves as a model for her daughter.

“She’s an incredibly intelligent woman, and she really does inspire me,” said Friedrich of her mother. 

Friedrich’s mother’s hands are featured in one of Kamryn’s pieces entitled “grasp.” The photograph shows two hands clutching a wire fence. 

“It’s a representation of always trying to reach for something more,” said Friedrich.
 
The photo recently received national attention when it was chosen among 2,000 submissions for a youth art exhibit in New York, titled “America 2017.” The exhibit and Friedrich’s work garnered mentions in The Week magazine and The New York Times. 

“A lot of what we talk about in class is the idea that everyone can take a photograph, but we’re really looking for those photographs that stand out and can have multiple experiences to it,” said Rebecca Bullen, Perpich’s Media Arts Chair. “There’s not just one story, but everyone has their own experience to it, and her [Kamryn’s] work really evokes that.”

Teachers say Friedrich stands out not only for her art, but for her mind, too. She’s an “A” student who has a maturity and awareness that her teachers believe will serve her well beyond her time at Perpich. 

“I feel like what we do here is really to help to develop students as thinkers and creators, and Kamryn is really a strong representation of that,” said Bullen.

Friedrich is applying to schools in New York where she would like to study either photography or fashion design next fall. 

School Spotlight | Standout Student (Archive)