Julie Mehretu at Edison High School, September 26, 2002. Photo: Cameron Wittig
I know from experience how cool photography can be in community artsprograms. I experienced the power of this medium in two community arts projects: Minneapolis and St. Paul are East African Cities, the outreach program in conjunction with Julie Mehretu’s 2001-2002 residency; and Portraits of Peace, a documentary photography project created by the Walker Art Center’s community programs departmentand the Peace Foundation. So, I was quite pleased to learn that the International Center for Photography is making available for download its new publication Focus on Photography: A Curriculum Guide. “Designed to inform educators about the many possibilities and interdisciplinary applications of photographic education in school and after-school settings,” Focuswas written by former ICP Coordinator of Community Programs, Cynthia Way. Congratulations and thanks to Cynthia.
This extraordinarily in-depth guide covers visual literacy, the links between photography and other disciplines such as literature, history, social studies, and writing. This landmark tome willquickly becomethe key reference for educators and arts-based community development folks looking to deploy the camera in their projects. So, hop over there and download your very own copy.
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