Aleppo Gallery
Le Pont Gallery Aleppo, Syria. March 2007. This workshop was developed as part of Moving Walls: A Documentary Photography Exhibition. An international exhibition curated and sponsored by the Open Society Institute a private operating and grant making foundation based in New York City. Photographer and photo-editor Sheryl Mendez co-taught this five-day workshop with Issa Touma, photographer and director of the Le Pont Organization and Gallery. The workshop included a total of nine students from varying social and economic backgrounds and age groups. Most in the group were very new to photography, having been introduced to the medium by Issa and the annual International Photo Gathering. Sheryl worked closely with each student on choosing his/her story idea, using her own work and that of other photographers to demonstrate possibilities. She led the group editing sessions while Issa provided the local logistics and support for the students when they were out on their own photographing. The collaboration proved for a workshop that was intense and productive for all the participants. Each person produced a solid body of work during the five days; many were inspired to continue working on their projects after the workshop ended. The final edit of each student's work was projected on a large screen television and formed an integral part of the opening night of the Moving Walls exhibition that was held at the gallery.
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