Chesterfield student artwork being exhibited in Washington

Constance Willoughby, a senior at Monacan High School, says her interests in fashion, cars and music from the 1920s,'40s and'50s has kept her from fitting in at school. That bothers her a little.

But when she spent months last year trying to come up with a theme for her Advanced Placement photography class, that sense of not fitting in but wanting to belong became the inspiration for her assignment.

She was getting something to drink from the refrigerator when she saw an egg carton, and she had a flash of an idea: replacing an egg with a doll head.

"I took so many pictures, and it didn't feel right," she said. "When I put things in places where they didn't belong, it suddenly felt right."

Willoughby's photograph is one of 35 artworks by 37 Chesterfield County students being exhibited at the U.S. Department of Education in Washington through Nov. 6.

Students, who created the art in the 2008-09 school year, will attend a gathering at the department Friday to celebrate the students and their art.

Lin Ferrell, an instructional specialist for visual arts in the county schools, selected the works from the schools' 2009 Arts and Sciences Festival to create the theme "The Human Form." The artworks in all media, except sculpture, come from all grade levels.

One of three county winners of the national Scholastic Art & Writing Awards had his art exhibited at the Education Department this year, Ferrell said. She went to the exhibition with other educators and got a chance to talk with Education Department officials about the county schools' art program, she said. Department officials invited them for an exhibition.

She thought they would get a chance to exhibit in about two years, but an organization was unavailable for a scheduled exhibition, and the department called Chesterfield to fill in, she said.

Willoughby began taking photography in her sophomore year, and her teacher encouraged her to continue with it, she said. "It made me feel like I belong somewhere," she said. "It made me want to do photography even more."

Willoughby is a unique individual, said Connie Russell, her art teacher.

"She's one of those students that is a joy to teach," she said. "She has a quirky sense of humor. Constance likes to put nuances into her work. She just has a delightful personality and that personality comes through in her work."

Willoughby, who plans to apply to Virginia Commonwealth University to pursue a degree in photography or art education, said she likes to get creative with her pictures. She's not into portraits.

"I like to make people think," she said. "I like people to get something from the picture. I don't want to do pretty."

Contact Juan Antonio Lizama at (804) 649-6513 or .