Light Work offers a variety of educational opportunities that engage a diverse audience of young people from the Syracuse area in programs that range from guided tours to one-time workshops to ongoing classes. These programs are designed to broaden the scope of a young person's education.
Please call for more information and to set up an appointment.
Contact Mary Lee Hodgens, Program Manager, at 315.443.5785 or mlhodgen@syr.edu.
Guided Tours
Led by Light Work educators, our Guided Tours are designed to emphasize the ideas, techniques, and aesthetics of the artists who exhibit and work with Light Work. These tours are tailored for all levels of school and adult audiences and encourage critical thinking and visual literacy. Cost: Free.
Constructing Identity Workshop - A Cultural Perspective
This three-hour workshop was created to address ideas of perception and cultural identity. Pieces from the Light Work collection are used as a starting point to illustrate the ways in which other artists have grappled with themes of identity in their own work. From there the workshop includes a series of short writing assignments and the use of digital cameras to examine cultural identity and preconceptions of cultural identity. Cost: $10 per student for supplies.
Photogram Workshop
A photogram is a photograph created without the use of a negative or slide. You make a photogram by placing objects directly onto the surface of your photographic paper and exposing it to light. This fun three-hour class is a great way to get your students to think outside the camera and learn composition, shape, and value. The workshop includes a gallery talk and tour of our imaging facility, Community Darkrooms. Cost: $10 per student for supplies.
Photography and Writing
Photography is often referred to as a universal language. Even people who speak different languages can look at and understand the same photograph. This universality of the photograph makes it an ideal tool to promote writing skills. Our three-hour workshop uses photography and writing exercises to enhance literacy and deepen students' understanding of themselves and their surroundings. Cost: $10 per student for supplies.
Photography and Multicultural Education:
Portraying Community
Intended as a multi-part workshop, Photography and Multicultural Education is a program intended to broaden students' view of the work by comparing their personal heritage with a variety of cultural histories. Using art as a means to navigate multiculturalism helps us understand who we are as a culture and how we need to grow. Portraying Community is a workshop that helps your students understand the place they live in and the cultures they reside within. Led by a Light Work educator, the students review the work in our galleries and collection and begin to create self portraits and portraits of people encountered in the neighborhood. Combining photography with a multicultural curriculum gives students a creative way to deal with issues that affect their lives. Cost: $10 per student for supplies.
Professional Development Workshops
A variety of in-service workshops are offered by Stephen Mahan, a teaching artist with over 15 years of experience with K-12 classrooms. Workshops include Photoshop for Educators, The Camera in the Classroom, and Digital Technology Across the Curriculum. For more information or to schedule a workshop for your school, contact Mary Lee Hodgens, Program Manager, at 315.443.5785 or mlhodgen@syr.edu.
