The View From Here: Accessing Art Through Photography
“The View From Here” is a free, semester-long photography-based program for young adults in Greater New Haven. Now in its second year, the program is held at the Yale Center for British Art and the Lens Media Lab (LML) at Yale’s Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage. “The View From Here” seeks to deepen young people’s engagement with visual art by exposing them to the history, materials, and practice of photography. Students learn the essential principles of taking and composing their own photographs using a smartphone or personal digital device. Working with curators, museum staff, Yale faculty, and photographers, students gain access to unique workshops, experiences, and mentorships. The program culminates in an exhibition of students’ work.
The View From Here (2023)
The 2023 exhibition highlights the work of eleven student-photographers from Greater New Haven. In fall 2022, “The View From Here” was taught at the YCBA, enabling access to the museum’s rich collection of historic and contemporary photographs. During the program, the student-photographers captured cityscapes, landscapes, and portraits using smartphone cameras as their primary technology. Their photographs speak to community, family, and a shared sense of place—New Haven. Their art is intimate and sometimes playful. It reveals their close attention to both the natural world and the built environment, and the conviction and honesty with which they record their lives. Their works are on view in the High Street windows through April 2, 2023.
Inaugural Exhibition (2021)
From August 16 through October 10, 2021, projections of the work of the twelve student-photographers could be viewed through the windows of the museum. As such, it was the first YCBA exhibition to feature art on the exterior walls of the museum. Visible every evening from sunset to midnight on High Street, the closed museum became a space that opened a new view onto the city. The exhibition is also presented here on YCBA's website, where personal statements written by the students are exhibited with their photographs, speaking to community, family, and a shared sense of space.
Contact the Education department at
ycba.education@yale.edu | +1 203 432 2858