A newspaper should be a reflection of its entire readership, which is often a difficult concept for high school students to grasp. While spending the week looking at photos and reading articles which reach out to a wide audience, I was reminded of a photographer in Minneapolis who reaches a wide audience with his photographs. Wing Young Huie spent four years documenting the wide mix of ethnic, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds which inhabit Minneapolis’ Lake Street. One particular comment from an anonymous person noted this about his photography:
“Where art is not afraid to look into the eyes of us, regular poor folks just living our lives, this art comes down from the pretentious, self-conscious and exclusive upper-class realm and becomes community art, art with a purpose, humane.”
I love this quote and think that this is exactly what newspapers should do for their audiences as well.
It might be worth showing some of these photos to students and discussing the importance of engaging a broader readership by covering all aspects of the high school community. http://www.wingyounghuie.com/lakestreet.html
Andrea Krueger
Centennial High School
Circle Pines, Minnesota
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Andrea, thank you for the link. I love a photograph that tells a story. These photographs do just that.
ReplyDeleteA camera is able to capture a moment and freeze it forever! If we can teach our students to see the lasting visual impression of a well composed and meaningful photograph, then we are on our way to helping them see with new eyes. And then, they might be able to show the world how to see with new eyes also.
I love the visual medium and the quote. Thanks.
Denice Westover
Snowflake High School
Snowflake, Arizona