IS 230 Photo: February 2008

My World IS 230

Welcome to one of Working Playground's network ArtSpace blogs!

This blog is a part of an afterschool digital photography My World model program at Intermediate School 230 in Jackson Heights, Queens. It will meet on Mondays and Wednesdays, in the library, from 3-5pm.

Essential Questions:
How can my world educate and inspire me? How can I educate and inspire my world?

Foundation Statement: The Unites States is a county of immigrants, a "melting pot" or "salad bowl" of diverse cultures and identities. Jackson Heights is one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the world. Through writing, storyboarding, and photography, students in this program will explore the art of storytelling, focusing on their own cultural identity and family stories. A workshop with a professional journalist will train students to ask questions and work in the field. Trips to the Y Gallery and the East Side Tenement Museum will look closely at immigration perspectives. Students will create a photo slideshow of their work in January.

In the Spring, students will delve into the world of zines. Since the 14th C (before blogs), marginalized citizens all over the world have created their own leaflet styled publications as a way to give voice to their ideas. By being challenged to answer the question, "What about your world makes you angry?" students will choose a topic they would like to research through the internet, through first-hand interviews with community members, and through the lens of their cameras. Each student will conceivably create one handmade book and zine with an edition of 10. The final project will be a group zine with a circulation of two to three hundred. Field trips include the Queens Museum of Art and the MET.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Student Photo Essays

All the students have created photo essays in PowerPoint. The themes were family, immigration, cultural identity, and place. Each photographer labored for a long time editing their photos, deciding which ones to use, and then learning PowerPoint. Here I have put just one slide of each student's work, but their photo essays each held 5-10 slides. They were amazing and I am so proud of their hard work!

On Feb 4th we went to Long Island City High School to present our work to two other photo classes. We had a fun time even though we had to leave early, but we look forward to presenting more work to even more students in Manhattan in May at the Urban Arts Festival!