Located in the South Bronx, ICP at The Point is a thriving photography educational center that features a classroom, studio and darkroom facilities, a business, and a gallery. The goal of the program, a partnership between ICP and The Point Community Development Corporation, is to teach photography in the community as a way to foster self-esteem, communication skills, professional experience, and community revitalization.

ICP at The Point explores both the creative possibilities and practical applications of the medium of photography. With camera in hand, students have unparalleled access to the city's resources and can discover the power of expressing their perspectives of the world and their role within it. Designed to create exciting personal and professional experiences, ICP at The Point courses motivate students to master photographic skills through a variety of projects: developing personal portfolios, taking portraits of families and models, photographing for annual report assignments, and creating images of their own neighborhood.

Taught by leading professional photographers, classes in photography are offered free to youth after school and to adults on weekends. Because the program emphasizes individualized hands-on instruction, participants learn at their own pace and create portfolios that express their personal vision.

In the lab, students process their own film, print their own photographs, and learn fine-printing techniques. Guest artists share their work experiences and photography projects with the class. Visits to museums, galleries, and businesses in New York City explore the aesthetic and professional aspects of the field. Students have contact with photographers, editors, gallerists, and museum professionals, all of whom are committed to guiding them in discovering their potential and learning about the field.

As students progress in the study of photography, they become eligible for job opportunities at both ICP at The Point and at ICP assisting with classes and in the labs. Most important, students learn to express their thoughts and feelings through photography, envisioning future possibilities for themselves and their communities.

Throughout the year, the program highlights the students' achievements by presenting seasonal critiques that are open to family and friends, rotating theme-based exhibitions in the gallery, and an annual publication. See our online gallery of student work.

Students' photographs are also exhibited at other venues, which in past years have included the ICP Education Gallery, the Museum of Television and Radio (for the 2005 Urban Visionaries Youth Film Festival), the Peninsula Hotel in Manhattan (for our 2005 fund-raiser curated and hosted by the renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz), and the Whitney Museum of American Art at Altria (for the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities 2004 Coming Up Taller Awards Celebration).

WINTER 2010 COURSE SCHEDULE

Photo I for Pre-Teens
January 11–March 22 | Monday | 4:00–7:00 pm

Photo I for Teens
January 12–March 23 | Tuesday | 4:00–7:00 pm

Photo II for Teens
January 13–March 24 | Wednesday | 4:00–7:00 pm

Photo II for Pre-Teens
January 14–March 25 | Thursday | 4:00–7:00 pm

Open Lab for all ages
Saturdays, 1:30–4:30 pm, while class is in session; hours may vary when classes are not in session.

Tuition is free for youth classes.

For more information or to register, call 718.542.4149 or visit www.thepoint.org.

Purchase student photographs and support ICP at The Point.