COMMUNITY: THE HOME, IMMIGRANT AND NATIVE VOICES PROJECTS
Everyone has an important stort to tell about their lives. When young people — especially those marginalized by diverse socioeconomic circumstances –– are given the tools to document their lives in photographs and create their own narratives, they create imaginative images that not only help us see their worlds in new ways but also reaffirm their own experiences and identity.
From 2002 - 2013, I produced community photography projects targeted for immigrant children and mothers, indigenous youth and young people living in rural Colorado communities and partnered with diverse non-profits, photographers and arts centers to bring them to life. The first project was took place with a class of middle-school students in Silverton, Colorado, over the course of two months, using all manual film cameras. At the time, the town was struggling economically and five families from the small school were leaving due to lack of jobs. Since that first project, each has evolved in various ways to best serve the unique individuals and communities they were meant to engage. A sampling of photographs from several of these projects are below.
ANDERSON RANCH 2013 | PORTRAITS
Photographs by young people at an Anderson Ranch Children’s Program workshop teaching the art of taking creative portraits, capturing diverse moments, emotions and points of view. View their delightful images.
2006 | SUMMIT COUNTY TRAILER PARK |
The Home Project project worked with immigrant children in a Summit County trailer park over the course of one summer to document what they found beautiful in their home place. View their imaginative take on their world.
2003 TELLURIDE | THE HOME PROJECT
The Home Project was designed to teach young people to document and capture what they felt was beautiful in their home places, and what they hoped might change. In Telluride, I partnered with an organization working with local youth to work with children from low-income families.
2002 DURANGO | THE HOME PROJECT
In Durango, I partnered with the San Juan Citizens Alliance to begin work with native Navajo and immigrant youth, working with them to capture what they felt was beautiful in their home spaces.
2002 SUMMIT | THE COMMUNITY PROJECT
RANCH 2012 | STORIES FROM THE VALLEY
Beloved Roaring Fork Valley locals, including the inimitable George Stranahan, were photographed and interviewed by teenagers in this Anderson Ranch workshop on documentary storytelling. View their work!
2005 | IMMIGRANT FAMILY ESL CLASS
In partnership with adjunct professor Sharon Aguilar and Colorado Mountain College, mothers and children taking part in a family English as a Second Language class were taught to use cameras to document their new worlds. View their photos here.
2003 RIDGWAY | THE HOME PROJECT
In Ridgway, The Home Project worked with a local family to create a series of spirited, heartfelt images and narrative on what it was like to grow up in this beautiful community.
2002 MANCOS | THE HOME PROJECT
In Mancos, I worked with the Strazza-Whalen children to document their deep connection to the land as part of The Home Project in Southwestern Colorado. View some of the collaborative photographs we made here.
RANCH 2010| STORIES FROM THE VALLEY
Five long-time Aspen locals were photographed and interviewed by teenagers exploring documentary photography and storytelling in this Anderson Ranch Children’s Programs workshop. View their work here.
2005-2006 | IMMIGRANT Voices
In the early 2000s, Summit County had one of the highest influx rates of new immigrants in Colorado. I was commissioned by the Family Intercultural Resource Center to document the stories of these immigrants as part of a grant-supported program to enhance community awareness and integration of new immigrants. View the images.
2003 Durango-Cortez
In Cortez, The Home Project worked with a young family to capture images that captured the unique beauty of this Four Corners region community.
2002 DINE NATION | BRIDGES
In 2000, renowned photographer Phil Borges founded Bridges to Understanding, an online classroom program that connects youth worldwide through digital storytelling to enhance cross-cultural understanding and help build a sense of global citizenship in youth. In 2002, I assisted Phil with a pilot implementation of the project on the Navajo Nation in Arizona, which taught youth to document their lives and share them with a partner school. View some images here.