a really fun evening…(our gallery show)
The photo above is a picture of Ruben and J. Carlos Lagares who won our photo raffle and chose Ruben's picture to take home with him.
We had an intimate group of brave souls who came out despite the rain and cold weather Friday night to meet the kids and see their work. The kids passed out flyers at their schools and many of their teachers showed up. For those of you who have never been to a SALT show, it is a treat. The kids will greet you at the door and all of our guests receive a tour through the gallery from one of the kids who will do their best to convince you to buy one of their pictures over all the others. They are quite a little sales team! But better than that, this celebration of the work that they have done lights them up. It's important for teenagers to be told they are good at something. All the kids had an opportunity to speak about their work and their experience in SALT.
I love hearing the kids speak about their work. It gives me a sense as a teacher that what I am teaching them is sinking in:) A couple of the highlights that they shared were when Lenice said that for her it isn't just a photography class, it is a family. The kids are a pact. If one goes the rest usually follow. And they have developed strong friendships with each other as well as the teachers. One of our core values is connection, that our Thursday class will be a time of relationship building as well as instruction. Danny, one of the newest students, said that he likes the class because it gives him something to do after school. As a side note....At the end of the show, we walked over to Grand Central to take the subway home, Devin mentioned that it was his first time in Grand Central Station. Amazing! He's lived in NYC his whole life!
This is about the 10th show we have had in five years. Sometimes we sell pictures and sometimes we don't, but this is not why we host a show. The reason we have gallery openings is to celebrate the kids and praise their work. The very first show we held was actually by accident...I was hosting a show of my own work and at the last minute it occurred to me that I should include what the kids had done. So, I printed all the kids work on paper left over from a job and taped it to the walls of the studio. We had about 60 guests. The best part of the evening was when Devin walked in. He came over to me and said, "Alicia! I have 5 pictures in the show! I can't believe it! I didn't think I was any good." Devin's confidence was the reason for that show. I have watched him go from being a quiet and timid kid, to becoming a networking monster! It's amazing what a little celebration can do!
Our next big show this year will be in June. We will celebrate a new body of work that the kids are currently producing. More info to follow....