“My Lower East Side” brings together a small group of kids (ages 12- 14) from the LES and Alphabet City neighborhoods to each create their own visual autobiography. Armed with a disposable camera, each youth will be prompted to connect with their neighborhood through weekly assignments that inspire them to become curious about themselves and their environment. Documentary Photography; Students wil
l learn photography skills as they identify, represent and enhance their community through photography techniques and analysis. Upon completion of the program, participants present a photo journalism exhibition to share their findings with their families, school and community. About Us:
FRANKI ACEVEDO is a self-taught photographer born and raised in the Lower East Side. Her experiences and interactions with the streets and the people of the L.E.S. have influenced every aspect of her life. In the mid 80's when the LES was considered by most as an area of NYC to avoid Franki was instead captivated by the everyday beauty of the LES streets and people which have influenced every aspect of her life and is reflected in her photography. Though Franki's upbringing was surrounded by creativity there wasn't very much guidance or support which lead to some bad choices that landed Franki in the juvenile system before she was even 13. After her 21st birthday, Franki vowed that she would NEVER get caught up in the system. More then 10 years later she has kept that promise. Today, Franki is founder of Lower Deck Photography, lovingly named after the LES. She is head photographer for ROOTSNYC and her work has been published in GO Magazine & Queens Courier. Franki works with photographers such as Alice O’Malley, fellow LES photographer, and has TAed at the International Center of Photography. She has been featured on the popular radio station WBLS 107.5 as one of NYC’s up-and-coming photographers. Franki's experiences growing up in the LES have inspired her to create a program to show the LES children today that photography can be a safe outlet for exploring their neighborhood and empowering their creative voice. She is very excited for the opportunity to mentor and offer new perspectives to LES kids so that they can see that they are surrounded by beauty - all they need to do is see it! Check out Lower Deck Photography Facebook.com/lowerdeckphotography
SAFIYA AURORA MARTINEZ is a performing artist and educator. She holds a Master of Science in Urban Education from Mercy College and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University. Safiya's premier work So You Can Hear Me was culled from her thesis developed at SF State and is about her experience as a native New Yorker and first-year teacher in the South Bronx. The work is full of humanizing narratives which serves as a love letter to New York City. Follow her on twitter . Connect with her at Facebook.com/soyoucanhearme
LIZABETH RONK is the photo editor for LIFE.com at TIME. Since joining LIFE in 2009, she has plowed the photographic archives for never before seen work and long-forgotten photo essays from LIFE Magazine's eight decades of iconic photography. She has served as the photo editor on various books for TIME Books and contributed to the “March on Washington” coverage that debuted with Red Border Films. She holds an MFA in Visual Culture from the Visual Studies Workshop and BFA in photography from Tisch School of the Arts at NYU. Based in New York City, her photography has been exhibited and published internationally. http://www.lizronk.com
DANA ULLMAN is a Brooklyn-based freelance photographer, multimedia producer and writer. An adventurer of the world and humanitarian at heart, Dana’s work focuses on humanizing social issues through storytelling, from the savannahs of Uganda to tiny Danish islands. Her work has been published by CNN, The Atlantic among others and featured online at Prison Photography, Fotovisura and Social Documentary. In 2014 she received a grant for her project on women in prison from the Puffin Foundation. Dana is also working on her first children’s book, Hurley and the Sand Dollar.
