Shutterbugs Develop at Steel Elementary
December 2010
Students at Steel Elementary School recently had the opportunity to get in touch with their artistic sides when a Visiting Artist from Art-Reach led a photography workshop. Julia Blaukopf, a well-known photographer based in Philadelphia, led a group of 10 students as they explored their neighborhood looking for “stories that told their everyday experience,” with the assignment to make a postcard.
Ms. Blaukopf instructed the students not to take any snapshots, but instead to experiment with angles and subjects of the photographs. The students were then led around the neighborhood surrounding Steel, looking at their environment from a new perspective. Students chose to take pictures of everything from the sky to alleyways, as they searched for subjects to photograph.
Nikita Brazelton, a 6 th grader, said of the experience, as she snapped a picture of a squirrel in a nearby park, “I’ve never gotten a chance to take pictures in school. I like taking photos of nature and wild animals and everything I see.”
As a partner of Art-Reach, EducationWorks has the opportunity to give students invaluable lessons and connections to the arts community of Philadelphia. Ms. Blaukopf said of her experience. “I love community arts because it is seeing art impact change and impact education and young people that I wouldn’t normally get to reach.”
