New York Times Lens Blog Features Work by Venice Arts Students!

We’re excited to share a link to the New York Times Lens Blog new project, Looking at our Hometowns. The My Hometown slide show is a vibrant document of 4,289 images submitted by teenagers in school- or community-based photography programs across the United States, including rural villages and urban neighborhoods, wealthy suburbs and blue-collar Rust Belt towns. The project was inspired by the Times photo editors’ belief in the power of photography as an educational tool, and by a desire to help young people communicate the way they see their lives and their communities.

Congratulations to Venice Arts' students Angela Francis, Gabriel Martinez, Ismael Martinez, Sathya Miele, Zinnia Moreno, Ashley Sanchez, Ana Antonio, and Cecilia Antonio! Their work was selected as part of the Editor's Picks for California. Several students have more than one image represented, so flip through the slide show after each link to see them all.

In addition to these works by students at Venice Arts' Center here in Los Angeles, the project also features "Planada Rising," a photo story and accompanying music, produced by teens in Venice Arts' two-year project in Merced. Check out the full article, a slide show of the project, and a link to the Planada Rising video here.


Pictured: Photograph by Angela, age 17: "I took this on the train that runs from Culver City to Downtown LA. I remember talking to the little boy and his mom about our group and what kind of work I do. The two of them were running Saturday errands, and they seemed to have a close bond."