Artist-in_residency: SPARC 2015 with BCA

PHOTOGRAPHY: AN EMPOWERING SHARING TOOL FOR SENIORS AT PEP

All the senior-students were part of the PEP for Seniors NORC SSP. They met once a week every Thursday for 5 months with artist-in-residence Martine Fougeron in the PEP Classroom. From 9 to 12 from January 15 to May 28, 2015, whether rain or shine, and it snowed quite a bit…

The students would bring in their cell phones or cameras. They would be taught to download them onto a computer, select them and edit them.. and then share them via the internet.

Sometimes the seniors did not know how to hold the cell phone to take a photo or how to focus on the touch screen, sometimes they did not know how to download and save their photos, sometimes they did not know how to download a chip. Most did not know how to send photographs to their friends and family via e mail, much less face book (and a few had accounts). Some seniors even opened face book accounts during the course.

By the end of the class, all 12 seniors knew how to take photos on their cell phones as well as share them , via internet, e mail and Facebook. They were very proud of themselves.

It gave the Seniors a class they enjoyed. Some said it got them out of their depression. It gave them skills they will keep for the future.

A peak Preview of one Senior's photo work: Valerie Rice