Digital Photography Workshops

Organized by Adrianne Koteen

Update and Thanks
With a focus on increasing visual and media literacy and diversifying the voices who document the issues and experiences of our world, I volunteer teach international photographic storytelling workshops. These workshops encourage cross-cultural understanding and empowerment, helping to provide voice to people from low-income and marginalized communities.

In March 2008 I taught my first workshop in Cairo, Egypt. The workshop was offered in conjunction with the Townhouse Gallery of Contemporary Art as part of their SAWA outreach program. Townhouse established SAWA in 2006 to encourage cooperation between mainstream and refugee communities in Cairo.

Next I taught a workshop in Kathmandu, Nepal, working in partnership with the organization Social Development Campaign Nepal. I worked with a group of young students at a public school who ranged in age from 10 to 14. Only two of the 15 students in the class had ever held a camera before.

Students were provided examples of documentary, photojournalistic, and creative approaches to photographic storytelling, taught basic photography technique and composition and then asked to create their own four-image photo essay. A copy of the final essays was exhibited locally as well as gifted to the participants.

Most recently I taught in Jakarta at the Tangerang Juvenile Detention Center for girls. I worked in partnership with PBKI, a social service organization, and Kampung Halaman, a Jogajakarta based NGO that works with youth to create video diaries.

The detention center housed 23 girls, age 12-20, who were serving anywhere from three months to three years in prison. Unlike the previous workshops where the focus was on documentary storytelling and media literacy, the workshop in Jakarta capitalized on photography as a tool for personal . The resulting essays are more intimate in nature and reflect the journey of the girls lives through images their past, present and what they envision for the future.

I hope to continue in 2009 with a workshop this spring in Honduras and also co-teaching a class at the San Quentin State Prison in the San Francisco Bay Area.

All donations gathered here go strictly toward the money spenton purchasing digital cameras for the workshops. I donate 100% of mytime and any expenses associated with my airfare and housing. In bothCairo and Kathmandu the cameras I purchased were donated to ensureongoing programing.

Teaching these workshops has provided an unending source ofinspiration, humility and meaning in my life this past year. Manythanks to all ofyour who have helped to make this happen.

With much gratitude,
Adrianne
Introduction
Hello All,

I started this page to help raise funds for the digital photography workshops that I offer around the world. With a focus on providing basic skills, media literacy, and documentation of diverse issues and experience, the workshops encourage cross-cultural understanding and empowerment, providing voice to people from low-income and marginalized communities.

Beginning in March 2008 I offered my first workshop in Cairo, Egypt. The workshop was offered in conjunction with the Townhouse Gallery of Contemporary Art as part of their SAWA outreach program. Townhouse established SAWA in 2006 to encourage co-operation between mainstream and refugee communities in Cairo.

I purchased ten digital cameras to offer to workshop participants who otherwise would not have had access. These cameras were loaned out during the course of the workshop and donated to Townhouse for future programming. As a result of this donation Townhouse is establishing a new permanent component of their outreach department to teach digital photography to street children. The cameras will also be utilized in future SAWA workshops.

I would like to recreate this workshop in several locations internationally, beginning with Kathmandu this August. Any money collected here will strictly be used for equipment and materials. The equipment is offered to local organizations and made available for future in-country outreach and educational programing. I volunteer my own time in order to offer these workshops.

Please let me know if have any questions as IĆ¢??d be happy to tell you more about the experience. Even a few dollars makes a great difference. No amount is too small.

I deeply appreciate your support!

All best,
Adrianne
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