On January 19th, YES students, staff and coaches had an opportunity to participate in a workshop led by Dr. Olaf Kuhlke from Minneapolis College of Art and Design. In this workshop Dr. Kuhlke shared with us his climate change photography project, which has been sponsored by the UN. Students from several different countries have participated over several years, taking photographs that highlight the effects that climate change has on their lives. Notably, he shared with us photos that had been taken by indigenous students in the arctic who’s way of life is changing rapidly due to the warming climate that makes it both difficult and unsafe for them to participate in their traditional hunting practices. We also saw photographs from students in India who documented flash flooding, a common occurrence in their area due to frequent and unpredictable weather events.
Dr. Kuhlke also taught us about how to take photographs in a way that elicits emotions and tells a story. He taught us about different types of photographs, those being photos that set the scene, photos that capture the action, photos that show details and portraits. These are the types of photos that students are encouraged to take as part of the project.
The future of Dr. Kuhlke’s project includes compiling photos and stories from students all across the world and showcasing them at an exhibit at MCAD in the summer of 2024. YES students are encouraged to participate by taking 5 of each of the types of photos listed above and write captions for each of them. These photos and captions can be shared to this link. Photos and captions should be uploaded separately and labeled in the following format LASTNAME_FIRSTNAME_NUMBER and placed in the designated folders. Submissions are due by February 15th.
If you would like to see the recording of our workshop with Dr. Kuhlke, follow the link here.
