Kid Camera Project Blogs

Katrina Artistically Revisited

ariya@kidcameraproject.org (Ariya Martin) — 2010-08-28T10:01:02Z

Please come out and show your support!

The New Orleans Kid Camera Project will be participating in the 5th year commemoration of Hurricane Katrina with a slideshow at this event hosted by musician Armand St. Martin and his wife Patty Lee.

KCP and Transforma

ariya@kidcameraproject.org (Ariya Martin) — 2010-08-19T14:34:59Z

As we may have mentioned in earlier posts....KCP was fortunate enough to get funding through Transforma's Creative Recovery Mini-Grant program. Although our proposed project was not without obstacles, we are proud to be able to contribute content to the Transforma publication. Please take a moment to look at the amazing work that Transforma has been doing in New Orleans.

And, enjoy some of the images made by our participants at the Adams St Community Center

Love Lost, by Koyaan

"3-Dimensional-World", by Tiara. Made with a Holga plastic camera

"Garden of Wonder", by Natalie. Made with a Holga camera

"Angel of Sunlight", by Natalie. Made with a Holga plastic camera.

Behind the scenes...

Carver High School Photo Peace Club

ariya@kidcameraproject.org (Ariya Martin) — 2010-06-08T08:00:16Z

January-May, KCP made a weekly trip to George Washington Carver High School through an invitation from the organization Silence is Violence. Beginning with a pilot program at Rabouin High School in 2007, Silence is Violence created Peace Clubs- where local artists and art groups brought their tools to the classrooms. Since its inception, it is now expanded to multiple Orleans Parish high schools. To learn more .

Our photo club at Carver was comprised of students from the fall Peace Clubs where students had either been enrolled in a writing/bookmaking class or dance. Over the course of the 13 weeks we discussed digital camera use, showed photographs by famous photographers such as Gordon Parks and spent a lot of time specifically on portraiture and lighting. We were also lucky enough to have photographer Aubrey Edwards come in to conduct a workshop where the students were instructed on the basics of how to use strobes(flash) for portraits. Aubrey also talked to them about her project on the history of New Orleans Bounce music and culture. Students were also exposed to imagery from other young people in places such as India through the website of the organization Kids with Cameras.

The project ended with a mural that incorporated some of their portraits as well as Polaroid pictures taken around the school. The students were also encouraged to add writing.

Kid Camera Tshirts for Sale at NOLA Book Fair

ariya@kidcameraproject.org (Ariya Martin) — 2009-11-06T21:54:08Z

Saturday, November 6th from 2 to 6pm we will have a table set up at New Orleans 8th Annual Book Fair with merchandise for sale as well as hands photo fun!

This is a great event. so come out and buy a tee, support the camera project!

In partnership with KIDsmART and The Porch

ariya@kidcameraproject.org (Ariya Martin) — 2009-08-02T10:38:24Z

A very belated update about a wonderful project KCP was involved in this past winter.

As part of the second phase of the Dreamcatchers Project by KIDsmART: An art program for the Porch at the 7th Ward Community Center with Xavier University's Art Department, KCP conducted a number of photo workshops with youth in the 7th Ward. The concept was "My Story" and throughout the 8-week course, the participating youth worked with different artists to assemble a book about their neighborhood and themselves. Thank you Echo, Asante, Jeffrey, Ed and Voice for making this such a great experience for us and for the kids.

Showing off the finished product!

United Houma Nation Youth Camp 2009

ariya@kidcameraproject.org (Ariya Martin) — 2009-07-28T11:52:11Z

KCP was delighted to spend a few days discussing the elements of photography as well as sharing examples of audio slideshows with the United Houma Nation youth during their week-long Summer Camp (July 6-9). Their finished projects were presented on the last day of camp. It was held at Bayou Segnette State Park, in Westwego, LA. During camp, students also experienced a variety of outdoor activities, personal growth and healthy lifestyle workshops, along with some cultural events.

Transforma Projects Mini-Grant Award

ariya@kidcameraproject.org (Ariya Martin) — 2009-07-28T11:42:21Z

The New Orleans Kid Camera Project will be creating large-scale photographs with a group in a location yet to be determined. The project is funded by Transforma Projects Creative Recovery Mini-Grant Program.

New Orleans Kid Camera Project will facilitate a group of youth in a series of workshops designed to explore 'What my neighborhood means to me". Participants will work together to design a public photography installation in their community. Students will learn technical aspects of photography, along with the role and impact that art can have on a community level. As they learn how to become visual storytellers, students will document their impressions of the community, what they feel is important, what makes them proud and what they'd like to change.

Students will take photographs in their neighborhood, engage in image-sharing sessions, and eventually select one photograph each that will be printed as large 7 X 7 feet outdoor vinyl banners to be displayed in the community. The images will be displayed in their community; outside walls of buildings that we will be granted permission to display work on. These large scale images will serve as a very public recognition of young people's voices, and a compelling glance into their neighborhood as seen through their visions. Such public art exhibitions "create an intimate reminder of who lives inside the houses that outsiders pass everyday" (Wendy Ewald, Literacy Through Photography).

To learn more about Transforma and the other projects they fund, go to Transforma

Press Release for Long Vue Partnership

ariya@kidcameraproject.org (Ariya Martin) — 2009-05-21T13:25:23Z

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 16, 2009

Contact: Jen Gick
jgick@longuevue.com
504-488-5488 ext. 320

LONGUE VUE HOUSE AND GARDENS PRESENTS
THE PONTCHARTRAIN PARK PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECT OPENING

New Orleans, April 17, 2009 Longue Vue House and Gardens, supported by a Save Our History grant from the award-winning channel, History, will host the opening of The Pontchartrain Park Photography Project on Thursday , May 21, 2009 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Longue Vue House and Gardens. This exhibition, comprised of photographs and oral histories taken by the students of Mary D. Coghill Elementary School, documents the history of Pontchartrain Park, the neighborhood in which the school is located. On display will be powerful photographs of the students literal and artistic interpretations of the neighborhoods homes and landmarks as the residents work to rebuild following Hurricane Katrina. Guests will also have the opportunity to view a documentary, created by media students at Delgado Community College, that chronicles the students journey through the project and features oral histories from neighborhood residents. The opening is free and open to the public.

The Pontchartrain Park Photography Project a collaboration between Longue Vue and The New Orleans Kid Camera Project, Tulane University, and Delgado Community College, was developed to help students forge meaningful relationships with Pontchartrain Park, the first neighborhood in New Orleans developed for the African American middle class. The collaboration has enabled students to preserve and share the unique legacy and culture of their predominantly African American enclave, empowered them to positively impact their community, and increased community awareness of local historic neighborhoods and the importance of their preservation.

Longue Vue House and Gardens, the former home of philanthropists and civil leaders Edith and Edgar Stern, is an internationally recognized historic site that serves as an educational and cultural institution. Longue Vues mission is to preserve and use the historical and artistic legacy of Longue Vue and its creators to educate and inspire people to pursue beauty and civic responsibility in their lives. The Pontchartrain Park Photography Project actively demonstrates Longue Vues commitment to its mission and to serving the Greater New Orleans community. This collaborative project has helped to nurture the growing relationship between Longue Vue, Coghill students, and the residents of Pontchartrain Park, a neighborhood that the Sterns were instrumental in establishing.

Longue Vue House and Gardens was one of just eleven organizations nationwide to receive a History Save Our History grant. History receives stacks of applications for Save Our History grants, said Dr. Libby OConnell, Senior Vice President, Corporate Outreach and Chief Historian, for History. Longue Vue demonstrated the creativity and commitment to preservation and education that we believe is fundamental to giving our past a bright future. Building partnerships within the community is key to achieving long term preservation goals.

History, with the counsel of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA) and American Association of State and Local History (AASLH), created the Save Our History Grant Program as an extension of the Save Our History philanthropic initiative. History is committed to inspiring and motivating local communities to learn about and take an active role in the preservation of their past through projects involving artifacts, oral histories, sites, museums or landmarks that exist in their own neighborhoods. In five years, 2,445 historic organizations, representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia have applied for funding through the Save Our History Grant Program.

About Longue Vue House and Gardens
Longue Vue House and Gardens is a historic city estate museum that was the home of the late philanthropists, Edgar Bloom Stern, a New Orleans business man and cotton broker, and his wife Edith, daughter of Julius Rosenwald, the Sears magnate. The Classical Revival style mansion is surrounded by eight acres of gardens. Longue Vue is open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sunday from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. General admission to Longue Vue is $10 for adults and $5 for children. All of Longue Vues programs are open to the public. For more information, call 504.488.5488 or visit www.longuevue.com.

Partnership and Exhibition OPENING MAY 21st!

ariya@kidcameraproject.org (Ariya Martin) — 2009-05-21T13:17:10Z

United Houma Nation Group

joanna@kidcameraproject.org (Joanna Rosenthal) — 2009-03-08T14:26:15Z

In the fall, the New Orleans Kid Camera Project worked with students from the United Houma Nations in Houma, Louisiana. The students, ranging in age from 11 to 15, learned basic photography and audio skills, then documented the recovery efforts from Hurricane Ike in Houma and the surrounding areas. They created audio slideshows, which we are in the process of uploading onto the web.

The students also documented the annual Elderfest of the United Houma Nation, an event that honors tribal elders. Students took photographs of the festivities, conducted interviews with several elders and took their portraits.

In the spring, the New Orleans Kid Camera Project will be working with the students from the United Houma Nations again to interview more of their elders and healers. To learn more about the Youth Media Team and the United Houma Nation, visit www.unitedhoumanation.org.

Photo by Angela.

Photo taken by Angela.

Photo taken by Kayla.

Photo taken by Tasha.

"Big white bird on a lonely road looking out on the world. Searching and looking for something, feeling alone. It starts and flies into the unknown." - Tasha

Kid Camera Project story on WWOZ

joanna@kidcameraproject.org (Joanna Rosenthal) — 2008-02-14T18:30:57Z

Thanks to David Weinberg for doing a story on Kid Camera Project for Street Talk on WWOZ, New Orleans' Jazz & Heritage station.

Street Talk addresses issues vital to New Orleans cultural rebuilding: from the future of music education to the struggle to keep traditions like second lines alive. Hear voices from brass band players, city officials, gospel choir directors, bar owners and more. We address housing, jobs and schools through the lens of culture and ask local political candidates about their specific plans for rebuilding. Street Talk online includes interviews, audio for download, commentary and live chat.

You can give a listen on the WWOZ website

OR

The Public Radio Exchange where you can also hear more of David's stories.

New photographs from our newest group, YEP/NoPlay

ariya@kidcameraproject.org (Ariya Martin) — 2008-02-13T16:05:08Z

Visit the Gallery HERE

Photos at Snug Harbor for PhotoNOLA

ariya@kidcameraproject.org (Ariya Martin) — 2008-01-08T20:04:25Z

Pictures from Snug Harbor! And thanks again to Christopher Porche West, www.porche-west.com, for all his help.

New Orleans East Graduates!

ariya@kidcameraproject.org (Ariya Martin) — 2008-01-08T19:20:33Z

In December our participants, their families, and their friends joined us in celebrating the work created by our group out in New Orleans East. With a party and a community exhibition at their church we celebrated their accomplishments over the past two years. On display were photographs that had been included in a show in NYC as well as their final projects photo quilts they made from photographs taken at the lakeshore.

Exhibition at Bean Gallery

ariya@kidcameraproject.org (Ariya Martin) — 2008-01-08T19:01:50Z

Here are some photographs from the Bean Gallery exhibition. The Bean Gallery is located on N. Carrollton at Orleans and it's a wonderful neighborhood coffee shop. There was a combination of color and black and white prints on display for the month of November. The 9th ward group assisted in the framing and hanging of this exhibition. We would like to thank Charlie, the owner of Bean Gallery, and Jeremy for making this show possible.