photos above by HAAT students, left and center: Kissbell Preza; right: Brianna Cardiel


"Sense of Place - Students Documenting Their Communities" 
A Collaborative Book and Gallery Exhibit with Harvard Westlake

Photography students have joined forces to tell an important story about the tale of their two diametrically divergent communities​. Students from the private prep school, Harvard Westlake, are collaborating with students from the Humanitas Academy of Art and Technology (HAAT), a public high school in East LA, to make a 21st century, vibrant documentary portrait of where they live - covering a wide range of territory from wealthy suburbs to urban blue-collar and under-privileged neighborhoods. The project will culminate in a gallery exhibit and the publication of a hardcover book. This collaboration is being directed by Joe Medina, photography teacher at Harvard Westlake and Joan Dooley, photography teacher at the Humanitas Academy of Art and Technology (HAAT).  Link to HAAT's Media Arts Department.  Link to HW's Art Department.

The exhibit will open at the DNJ Gallery at Bergamot Station (Santa Monica) May, 16, 2015 and remain on view for a month. 

The project is inspired by a belief in the power of photography as an educational tool, and a desire to help people communicate the way they see their lives and their communities. The project also aims at encouraging students to respond to artistic challenges that will push their creative and technical boundaries.