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January 18, 2023LENSES | Student Exhibition, Inspired by Gordon Parks, at the Albany Institute
The Albany Institute of History & Art will host Lenses, an exhibition of student photography created during the AIHA & Youth FX Educational Photography Partnership: My Camera is a Weapon, a six-week program designed to educate local students about photography.
Using AIHA exhibition “Gordon Parks: I, too, am America” organized by the Ulrich Museum of Art at Wichita State University and curated by Dr. Ksenya Gurshtein as an inspiration, Youth FX staff and local photographers led workshops for youth in the capital region through the lens of Park’s work as a prolific photojournalist and for his stance on the camera as a weapon against poverty, racism, and social wrongs. Ultimately, seven students were selected for the program: Audrey Finck, Zyaire J. Gaddy, Jazlyn Gorousingh, Lyndsey Heyliger, Noah Hotaling, Jace Privott, and Olivia Rose.
In addition to workshops, each student was given a camera to take home for the duration of the program and encouraged to photograph whatever subjects they desired; culminating in Lenses, an exhibition of select photographs taken over the six-week long partnership. These photos – capturing themes ranging from environmentalism, the urban landscape, and media portrayal of Black women – give a viewer a glimpse into the photographer’s unique viewpoint, or lens. Like Parks, students photographed spaces and people with whom there was a degree of familiarity, giving viewers access to new viewpoints and considerations for how to view the world.
In celebration of the students and their work, there will be a reception at the Albany Institute on Friday January 20th from 5:30 – 7:00 pm, which has been generously sponsored by the Capitalize Albany Corporation and the Capital Resource Corporation. The reception is free and open to the public.
This program was led by Gregory Marsh the Youth FX Director of Education, Camille Dobbs YouthFX Lead Educator, Tyler West Youth FX Administrative Coordinator & Professional Photographer, Courtney Staton Youth FX Guest Artist & Professional Filmmaker/Photographer and Jayana LaFountaine Youth FX Guest Artist & Professional Photographer. Lenses was curated by Lacey Wilson, Public Historian of the African American History Project, and Mallory Schultz, Education Manager at the Albany Insitute of History & Art.
Exhibition Reception
Friday, January 20, 2023
5:30 pm – 7:30 pm at Albany Institute of History & Art
Join us for a reception in celebration of Lenses, an exhibition of student work created during the AIHA & Youth FX Educational Photography Partnership: My Camera is A Weapon. Inspired by the work of Gordon Parks, students documented their world while contemplating the power of photography as a vehicle for change. The event is free and open to the public, with light fare and non-alcoholic beverages.
This special event is hosted in partnership between Youth FX and the Albany Institute of History & Art and sponsored by the Capitalize Albany Corporation and Capital Resource Corporation.
This exhibition and reception are brought to you in partnership by the Albany Institute of History & Art and Youth FX and sponsored by Capitalize Albany Corporation and Capital Resource Corporation.
For more information, visit www.albanyinstitute.org or call (518) 463-4478.
