I was invited to lead photography workshops for ‪Kaunas Photo festival this summer. Fantastic opportunity for 13-18 year olds to develop a project and have their work exhibited in September! Registration is open until 2 June.

From Kaunas Photo website:

The thirteenth international photo art festival KAUNAS PHOTO 2016 in its program investigating relationship between contemporary photography and public space, near the tens of high artistic and aesthetic level exhibitions, meetings with authors, lectures, photographic projections and many other events, also organizes workshops for the youth – ‚Kids on the Block‘, to which are welcome to register thirteen – eighteen aged pupils from Eiguliai, Kalniečiai and Šilainiai wards.

Starting May – June and continuing till the autumn , workshops will be leaded by experienced masters of photography, who are also the inhabitants of these wards: In Kalniečiai, A. Smetona gymnasium advices will be giving photojournalist Artūras Morozovas; in Eiguliai , Vitebskas library – art critic, photographer, Vytautas Magnum University lecturer Tomas Pabedinskas; and from the third of June workshop will start in Šilainiai, it  will be lead by photo artist, ‚Šilainiai photo‘ organizer – Evelina Šimkutė.

Seeking to foster social activity, sociality, creativity, to stronger identity of the place and interest in neighborhood, during workshops the youth, living in Kalniečiai, Eiguliai and Šilainiai wards, will be introduced to creative strategy of photography, will analyze their living space by photo objective, will investigate actual themes of block wards – from the aesthetic of balconies till the problems of car parking. The workshops of photography will become not just the way of expression, in which participants will analyze social themes, also finds new ways to create  a new form of communication in community.

The result of workshops – three exhibitions of participants together with their lecturers: 15 September  – Šilainiai library, 22 September–  A. Smetona gymnasium and 29 September – Vitebskas library. Exhibitions will be accompanied by evenings of photography projections, discussing created works and social themes. Participants of “Kids on the Block” will be awarded with  graduation diploma.

Submission requirements

 Entrants must be pupils aged thirteen – eighteen, living in Eiguliai, Kalniečiai or  Šilainiai wards. According to the living ward will be collected three separate workshop groups, every  no more than 20 members.

• Šilainiai group – leader Evelina Šimkutė, sessions will go on in Grušas art gymnasium, (the first meeting on 3 of June, 10 am.);
• Eiguliai group – leader Tomas Pabedinskas, sessions – in Vitebskas library, (the first meeting on 27 of May, 3 pm.);
• Kalniečiai group – leader Artūras Morozovas, sessions will go on in A. Smetona gymnasium, (the first meeting on 21 of June, 1 pm.).

Technical preparations for workshops:

Every participant must have digital camera.