Picture My World June 11, 2008

PICTURE MY WORLD LETS YOUTH INTERPRET THEIR ENVIRONMENT THROUGH THE LENS OF A CAMERA
An exhibit of student work opens June 12 at the Palm Beach Photographic Centre

How much is a camera worth? In the hands of a struggling young person, it might be priceless.

That’s because communication through photography can improve self-esteem, provide a non-violent means of expression and encourage empowerment, responsibility and appreciation of family and community. Ask Denise Felice, director of education for the Palm Beach Photographic Centre’s “Picture My World” program, which provides several outreach programs each year for disadvantaged children in the community.

“After they take the photograph, they write about the image, what it means to them and how they apply it to photography and the world,” said Felice, who has been with the program since its inception in 1998.

The work of this year’s Picture My World artists will be on display June 12-August 9 at the Centre’s community gallery at 55 N.E. 2nd Ave. in Delray Beach. The annual exhibit will include about 80 photographs, accompanied by journal entries, from the two groups currently taking part in Picture My World, Felice said. They include 12 students from the South Olive Community Center and another 12 from the Northwood Youth Empowerment Center, both in West Palm Beach. The first group is elementary students ages 8-12, while the latter consists of teens ages 13-18.

The images and writing on display are the result of instruction designed to help students define and manage reality and believe in their own unique vision.

Classes are held after school each Friday for two hours, and students go on Saturday field trips about twice a month. Students use digital cameras, donated by Canon USA, and periodically have access to a digital darkroom at the Centre’s main location.

“They take home cameras during the holidays so they can express what their lives and cultures are like at home,” Felice said.

The cameras can take video clips as well as photographs, and students sometimes record singing or rap clips to accompany their work, Felice said. In addition, students often collaborate to create collective works of art and expression.

“It’s community property,” she explained. “If someone takes a photograph, and if someone else is drawn to it, they can write about it.”

Picture My World is a free program sponsored in part by Canon USA and Epson, which provides photographic paper. The program also receives support through periodic grants and an annual auction of works donated by internationally recognized photographers. This year’s Picture My World exhibit doesn’t have a singular theme, Felice said, but focuses generally on connecting community issues to what is happening in the world.

“The whole idea is for them to get a broader outlook,” she said.
About the Palm Beach Photographic Centre:
The Palm Beach Photographic Centre is a non-profit visual arts organization founded 20 years ago by Art and Fatima NeJame. The Centre is dedicated to the enrichment of life through exhibitions, community programs, workshops and educational activities that promote the arts of photography and digital imaging. The Centre is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Admission to the galleries is $3. Admission fee varies for different events, and pre-registration is required for seminars, FOTOshoots and computer labs. Contact the Centre at 561-276-9797 or visit www.fotofusion.org.

Official Website: http://www.fotofusion.org/