Monday, January 9, 2012

Kids Doing Cartwheels in Sri Lanka

by Drew Martin
In 2011, Katie Humphries, a New York-based photographer, asked me to speak to the students of her P.S. 3 after-school photography class about my UNDER THE HOOD: New York project that was displayed at the New York Public Library. I also spent some time discussing how I professionally use photography and showed the young students progress photos of many iconic buildings in New York and spoke about photoshoots, use of images in advertising and materials, and archiving. I was really impressed by Katie's commitment to this class. This is her nature and the direction of her creative energy. She recently returned from a trip Sri Lanka as part of The cARTwheel Initiative, a not-for-profit organization that travelled there to work with Tamil children in worn-torn regions. They created four art workshops (photography, painting and collage, graphic design, and music) in three schools: Mallavi Central College, Pandiyankulum, and Poonekary. The program included Tamil students between the ages of 10-17. The project culminated with a school community exhibition and a show in Colombo as well.