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San Francisco, CA 94105
TEL: 415 512 2020
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - February 14, 2007
Media Contact: Kate Patterson, Public Relations & Marketing Manager, The Contemporary Jewish Museum
Phone: 415.344.8818
Email: kpatterson@thecjm.org
Erik Auerbach, Education Coordinator
Phone: 415.512.2020 ext. 107
Email: firstexposures@sfcamerawork.org
Exposing Identities
5 January – 24 February 2007
Opening Reception: Thursday 4 January 2007 @ 5:00 pm
Local At-risk Teens Reveal their Personal Identities and Creativity in
Exposing Identities, A Photography Exhibition Presented by The Contemporary Jewish Museum and SF Camerawork’s First Exposures Mentorship ProgramSan Francisco, CA, February 14, 2007 – SF Camerawork’s First Exposures mentorship program provides urban teens with an opportunity to develop photography skills and explore the medium as a form of self-expression. At the beginning of the academic year a group of 15 diverse students, recruited from local agencies serving young people with backgrounds of homelessness or low-income living situations, were paired with professional photographers who mentor them in the development of their own photography skills. Starting this February, The Contemporary Jewish Museum (CJM) and SF Camerawork will partner on a curriculum for a series of workshops based on the themes in the CJM’s current exhibition, The Jewish Identity Project: New American Photography. Using the exhibition as a springboard, students will embark on their own photographic investigations of issues of identity, including culture, religion, and race culminating in the exhibition, Exposing Identities, on view at The Contemporary Jewish Museum May 10-20, 2007.
Through their engagement with the exhibition, students will have the opportunity to better understand the diversity that exists within religious and ethnic groups and explore their own backgrounds in an environment that fosters creativity, responsibility, and youth empowerment. The workshops will include a visit to The Jewish Identity Project where the students will engage in an in-depth discussion about the content and technique of the artworks on view and ultimately create a photographic project to address their own identity. Participants will also have the opportunity to learn from two artists-educators, Jaime Permuth, whose work is featured in The Jewish Identity Project, and Jona Frank. Permuth’s workshop will explore the role of ritual in defining personal identity, and Frank’s will teach the students about portraiture as a way to document and reveal stories about themselves. The teens will also learn how to plan and mount their own photography show, Exposing Identities, which will enable the students to share their work with a larger audience.
One student, age 17, described her experience in the First Exposures program as follows: "I like to focus on the unnoticed, the unseen and the forgotten. My relationship with my camera is particularly important to me. It allows me to express my eyes see and allows me to photograph the world through my eyes."
As mentor and artist-educator, Jona Frank, explains, “First Exposures provides an important opportunity for inner-city youth to see their surroundings in a new way. Students are given an opportunity to tell a story from their perspective about their home, their community and their world. When I worked as a mentor, I saw first-hand the importance for young people to develop a relationship and have a place to belong outside of home and school. It is crucial as art programs diminish in public schools that adolescents find healthy outlets for creative expression.”
EXHIBITION INFORMATION
WHAT: SF Camerawork’s First Exposures mentorship program and The Contemporary Jewish Museum present Exposing Identities, an exhibition featuring photography projects by local teens.
WHERE: The Contemporary Jewish Museum
121 Steuart Street (between Mission and Howard streets) in San Francisco
*All visitors must present a valid photo ID at the front entrance.HOURS: Sunday-Thursday, 12 noon – 6 pm
*The Gallery will be closed for the Passover holiday on April 3, 4, 9 and 10.ADMISSION: FREE
INFORMATION: Please call The Contemporary Jewish Museum at (415) 344-8800, or visit www.thecjm.org.
About The Contemporary Jewish Museum
Founded in 1984, The Contemporary Jewish Museum (CJM) presents scholarly and artistic programs that explore the Jewish spirit and imagination. The Museum offers contemporary views and Jewish perspectives on culture, history, art and ideas, with programs reflecting global ideas that tie to the past and remain relevant to all people today. The CJM is a private, not-for-profit institution supported by members, foundation and community support and admission revenues. For more information, please visit the CJM website at www.thecjm.org.
About SF Camerawork’s First Exposures Mentorship Program
Started in 1993, First Exposures (FX) is a unique mentoring/ photographic education program for young people sponsored by SF Camerawork. Students ages 11 - 18 are recruited from local agencies serving young people with backgrounds of foster care, homelessness or low-income living situations. Mentors are photographers with a commitment to youth empowerment through education. The goal of the program is to develop a creative outlet for students to express themselves in a safe and supportive environment, and to encourage them to grow and become articulate, confident, and responsible young adults.
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