My Viewpoint Youth Photography Initiative

The My Viewpoint Photography Program on the Cheyenne River Reservation, SD, teaches photography as a means of exploration, self-expression, and reflection. All formal and technical training are student driven and are taught through hands-on experiences. Using the concept of apprenticeship as a model, students and instructors photograph alongside one another. This practice enables everyone to be a student and a teacher. Since the program’s inception in 2005, students (aged 6-20) have employed both digital and analog techniques. Students print their images in an onsite darkroom, or edit their digital images in Adobe Photoshop and Image Blender.

In the next phase of this program, students and instructors will design of a group exhibition of their work. In July 2010, five committed teenage photographers and three adults traveled to New York City. The purpose of this visit was to expose the youth to ideas of representation: the artist’s intent, and the viewer’s perceptions. The group toured museums and galleries, and met with artists and curators.

for more information, please visit: www.mviewpoint.org