Teen Academy - Visual Storytelling with Objects & Archives

In this 10-week course, students will use beloved old objects and images as an entry point to tell new stories. Students will examine their own physical and visual archives including things such as clothing from growing up, letters from friends, photo albums, childhood toys, entries into the Notes app, disposable camera photos, food that is a reminder of a previous home, and much more. Through writing prompts and photography assignments, students will use these elements as raw materials to create new work. Technical lessons will include scanning objects and images, digital layering and blending in Photoshop, collage both by hand and digitally, InDesign layouts for bookmaking, and lighting for still life photography. During class sessions students will discuss projects by artists working with objects and archives such as Keisha Scarville, Cheryl Mukherji, Alanna Fields, and Adama Delphine Fawundu. Students will also discuss readings by poets, historians, and contemporary auto-fiction writers about creative use of the archive, including Saidiya Hartman, Maggie Nelson, and Diana Khoi Nguyen. By the end of the course, students will each develop a zine containing the body of work they created during the class. 

Need-based scholarships are available for all Teen Academy classes. To apply, please visit: https://www.icp.org/school/teen-academy.

Course Level/Prerequisite: Open to all skill levels. No prior photography experience is needed for these foundation courses.

Note: Students may need access to a smartphone, DSLR or mirrorless camera, or digital point and shoot camera to complete assignments. If they do not have their own device, a camera can be signed out from ICP. Please reach out to Teen Academy staff at teen_academy@icp.edu after registering if you would like to sign out a camera for the duration of the course.

Program Description: ICP’s Teen Academy program welcomes teenagers ages 14–19 from across the country and around the world to develop their skills as leaders and visual storytellers in a range of in-person and online classes. All curricula are youth-centered and include: photographic and writing assignments, open lab time, visual presentations, discussions, critiques, a guest artist visit, a field trip, and a culminating presentation for family and friends celebrating the students’ achievements.

Fee Breakdown