During this interactive event, teens are invited to a guided tour of ICP’s current exhibition, Tyler Mitchell: I Can Make You Feel Good. Following the tour, participants will head to ICP's library for a presentation and conversation with special guests, photographer and filmmaker Tyler Mitchell and students in ICP’s Teen Academy Imagemakers program. Participants will explore the inspirational and representational power of the photobook and walk away with a reading list curated by Tyler Mitchell, Teen Academy students, and audience members. This space is open to teens of all experience levels who share a curiosity about the world of photography. 

This program is offered as part of Teen Arts Week, NYC’s only citywide celebration of the arts for teens, featuring free classes, workshops, and performances for teens at arts organizations in all five boroughs. You can learn more about Teen Arts Week and sign up for more events at 92y.org/TeenArtsWeek.

About

Tyler Mitchell is a photographer and filmmaker based in Brooklyn, working across many genres to explore and document a new aesthetic of Blackness. His career started at an early age: filming skate videos and documenting the music, fashion, and youth culture scenes in Atlanta. In 2017, he graduated from NYU Tisch School of the Arts with a BFA in film and television. By that time, he had already self-published his first photo book, El Paquete (2015), in which he captured the architecture and emerging skateboard culture in Havana, Cuba. In his first years of college, he started making videos for musicians and shot campaigns for Givenchy, American Eagle, and Marc Jacobs, among others. Mitchell is now regularly published in avant-garde magazines and commissioned by prominent fashion houses.

In 2018, he made history as the first Black photographer to shoot a cover of American Vogue, for Beyoncé’s appearance in the September issue. In 2019, a portrait from this series was acquired by the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery for its permanent collection. This, alongside many other accomplishments, has established Mitchell as one of the most closely watched up-and-coming talents in photography today.

Mitchell has lectured on the politics of image making at Harvard University, the International Center of Photography, and numerous other institutions.

Teen Academy Imagemakers enables motivated high school juniors and seniors to advance their photography, writing, and public speaking skills while developing an awareness of the creative and professional possibilities in the field. This weekly after-school program provides teen photographers with guidance from some of New York’s best teaching artists, field trips to museums, galleries, and studios, college-prep workshops, pre-professional assignments, mentorship opportunities in the field, and full access to ICP’s facilities. This program is designed for students who are interested in pursuing photography in college and/or as a career. By the end of the year, students have created an extensive portfolio, including an artist’s statement and résumé. A selection of their best work is featured in this gallery exhibition.

 

 

Image: Richard Burrowes for ICP