{"id":170479,"date":"2026-02-18T23:43:12","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T23:43:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/170479\/"},"modified":"2026-02-18T23:43:12","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T23:43:12","slug":"dunbar-teens-develop-artistic-sensibilities-through-moderns-partnership-with-high-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/170479\/","title":{"rendered":"Dunbar teens develop \u2018artistic sensibilities\u2019 through Modern\u2019s partnership with high school"},"content":{"rendered":"

by David Moreno, Fort Worth Report
February 18, 2026<\/p>\n

Amber Tyler, 17, wondered how she could push her own creativity as she studied a photograph of renowned British artist Jenny Saville.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Dunbar High School student was tasked with distorting the image of Saville\u2019s face with chalk pastels to create a self-portrait distinctly different from the photo.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Without too much thought, Amber began painting with a bright green pastel to contrast with traditional human skin colors, she said. She then mixed shades of pink and orange into the hair and added vibrant blue in the eyes and on the mouth for emphasis.<\/p>\n

The end result? A large-scale portrait that now hangs inside the Historic Stop Six school\u2019s library for all students to see.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt makes me proud that other people can see what I\u2019ve done,\u201d Amber said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Amber\u2019s portrait doesn\u2019t hang alone. It shines beside other unique portraits in shades of yellow, red and brown created by classmates through a collaborative effort with the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Dunbar High School student Antoinette Nichols, 17, was inspired to add pink below the eye in her interpretation of a photograph of British artist Jenny Saville. (David Moreno | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n

\"\"Edwin Dominguez, 18, said the blue and red colors of his interpretative portrait of artist Jenny Saville \u201cjust spoke to me.\u201d (David Moreno | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n

\"\"Dakayla \u201cWinter\u201d Bates,16, was inspired to use chalk pastels that most resembled her own skin. Even though Winter was using a photo of Saville as a reference, she reflected herself in the portrait. (David Moreno | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n

\"\"For her portrait, Nancy Sotelo, 16, used multiple colors to express her emotions \u2014 yellow represented happiness; the red showed anger; and the blue reflected sadness. (David Moreno | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n

Since 2018, Dunbar has partnered with the museum for the Modern Collaborative Studies<\/a>, a program that helps students gain a deeper understanding of exhibitions, selected works and artists.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Participating teens take four trips to the Modern throughout the school year where they work with Jesse Morgan Barnett, the museum\u2019s assistant curator of education, for workshops and exhibition tours.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cEach visit is designed to assist students in gaining confidence in thinking about modern and contemporary art and foster a lifelong relationship with the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth,\u201d Barnett said via email.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The partnership was developed by longtime curator of education Terri Thornton, who died at 66 in 2024<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Dunbar students recently visited the Modern in mid-January to create the portraits while learning about the paintings featured in the \u201cJenny Saville: The Anatomy of Painting<\/a>\u201d exhibition, which was on view through Jan. 18.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Saville is known for her large-scale oil paintings that illustrate various human emotions<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Senior Antoinette Nichols, 17, said the workshop allowed her to free her mind and practice a more abstract art style she wasn\u2019t familiar with.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMy dad was very happy that I got out my comfort zone, because he\u2019s never seen me do this type of stuff,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Most students who participate in the Modern\u2019s program had never previously visited the Fort Worth museum, Dunbar art teacher William West said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Edwin Dominguez, 18, was nervous the first time he visited the Modern this fall. He didn\u2019t know if he would feel comfortable, he said. Once inside, Edwin said he was blown away by the \u201cgorgeous\u201d art pieces as well as the museum itself.<\/p>\n

Antoinette worried people at the museum would talk badly about how she expressed herself, but the teen received support for her creativity, she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Modern partnership has been nothing but positive over the seven years he\u2019s worked at Dunbar, West said. The program takes students out of the campus setting and puts them in an entirely different environment, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt takes them out of their normal comfort zone and lets them explore and expand their artistic sensibilities,\u201d West said. \u201cAnd of course, the inspiration of the art in the museum, you can\u2019t measure that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Seeing their works hang in the school\u2019s library is an unreal moment, the teens said. The students will take their art home once the school year ends.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve never had an art piece just hang at school or anything like that before,\u201d Edwin said. \u201cTo be honest, it makes me happy because someone else could see that artwork and have some type of feeling on it as well.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Amber felt different emotions jumping from the canvas as she looked at each of the portraits. One of the best parts of the program is learning how each of her classmates\u2019 creative minds work, she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cNot a single portrait is exactly the same,\u201d she said. \u201cThey may have a similarity, maybe two, but it\u2019s always different. Everybody is just unique.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

David Moreno is the arts and culture reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.org or @davidmreports<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Fort Worth Report\u2019s arts and culture coverage is supported in part by the Meta Alice Keith Bratten Foundation and the Virginia Hobbs Charitable Trust. At the Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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