Lacy Austin Lecture October 24, 2006

Lacy Austin, director of community programs at the International Center of Photography (ICP) in New York City, will present a lecture at Light Work on Tuesday, October 24 th at 5:30 pm. ICP's award winning community partnerships focus on collaborations with schools, community centers, and other cultural institutions. Their goal is to teach photography in the community at large as a way to foster self-esteem, communication skills, professional experience, and community revitalization. Austin will profile ICP's most recent collaborations, including the Community Record School Partnerships, ICP at the Point, Re-Visions of El Barrio, and the Portable Digital Darkroom.

Austin's visit is part of an ongoing collaborative project exploring literacy, community, and photography at Syracuse University. This project began in the fall of 2005 at Light Work, and has included lectures, workshops, exhibitions, and community-based photographic projects. This lecture was funded by Light Work, Partners for a Better Education, College of Visual and Performing Arts, and the Goldring Arts Journalism Program. It is free and open to the public.

Learning Through the Lens: Collaborations with Children at the Edward Smith Elementary School exhibition on view in the Robert B. Menschel Photography Gallery (Schine Student Center) through December 15

Light Work's exhibition, Learning Through the Lens: Collaborations with Children at Edward Smith Elementary School illustrates Syracuse University's unique approach to literacy and the arts. The exhibition features eighty black-and-white photographs and written statements which explore the lives and visual imaginations of fourth and fifth grade Syracuse city school children. Also featured are images by Syracuse University photography students that examine the various facets of the school experience.

Inspired by Wendy Ewald's 'Literacy Through Photography' project, in which the artist shows children how to use cameras to explore how they think, this exhibition is the culmination of the efforts of an innovative course, Literacy, Community, and Photography, offered through the College of Visual and Performing Arts in cooperation with the Department of Fine Arts in the College of Arts and Sciences.   Team-taught by Judith Meighan, Assistant Professor of the History of Art, and Doug DuBois, Assistant Professor of Art Photography, and working in collaboration with Mary Lynn Mahan, Art Teacher at Edward Smith Elementary School, the course brought perspectives from both academic and studio backgrounds to the classroom. This project demonstrates how a strong relationship between the arts and the basic school curriculum can promote writing as well as visual literacy among students. This pioneering course is the beginning of a long lasting partnership between the Syracuse City School District and Syracuse University and the first of many community-based courses offered.

This exhibition has been made possible by a grant from the Division of Student Affairs U Encounter program and through the generous sponsorship of the Soling Program, the Syracuse Symposium, the College of Visual & Performing Arts, Light Work/Community Darkrooms, Partners for a Better Education, Syracuse City School District, and the Edward Smith Elementary School. The Robert B. Menschel Photography Gallery is located on the second floor of the Schine Student Center at Syracuse University. The exhibition is free and open to the public. Gallery hours are Sunday through Saturday, 11 am-10 pm (except school holidays), or by appointment. For more information or to set up an appointment please contact Jessica Heckman at Light Work at 315-443-1300.