For this program cycle, the BDC loaned every BJPL a Fuji DSLR camera to use for the program duration. Students used phones and tablets to take photos during the spring and summer, but we believed that students would feel more motivated by being able to use the professional-grade cameras they would normally have access to during in-person classes. Any student who needed a device to connect to class and upload photos also received a laptop or tablet. Students and family members picked up the equipment from the BDC or had it dropped off to them.

The primary focus of the middle school classes during the fall semester was learning the functions of the camera, composition, and the different kinds of images that tell a story. This was done through photo and writing assignments culminating in a 2020 time capsule that explored the questions of, if someone from 2060 were to just look at headlines from 2020, what is missing? What do you want to make sure is seen and understood from your life? In the process, students learned about aperture through taking still life photography, documenting the artifacts of their life; shutter speed through capturing the way they moved through the world in 2020, documenting street life or movement in their homes; explored lighting and mood through self-portraiture; environmental portraits through photographing family; and more. They edited this together as a series of 5-10 images that told their 2020 story accompanied by a letter to their future selves. This time capsule will be printed and buried in the Bronx Documentary Center’s garden.

The introductory high school class learned about camera functions, compositional elements, and built their documentary storytelling toolbox by learning the kinds of images they can use to tell a story. By the end of the semester, they made a series of 7-10 photos as a visual exploration of their identity accompanied by a short written statement about their work. The advanced high school class, composed of returning BJPL students and new students with sufficient photography experience, explored how, if journalism is the “first draft of history,” the work they make responds to a crucial juncture in American history. They did a deep dive into news literacy, focusing on fact versus opinion, journalistic ethics, and how to photograph the presidential election with visiting photographers Victor J. Blue, Gabriela Bhaskar, Laylah Amatullah Barrayn, and Todd Heisler. Students presented the beginnings of long-term projects exploring the issues important to them and their communities during the mid-year presentation.

Teachers, students, and family members all attended the BJPL virtual mid-year presentations. These screenshots were taken during the middle school presentation on December 17, 2020

This fall and winter we hosted two workshops to support 8th grader students and their families with the high school admissions process. Due to Covid-19, the deadline for applications was not set until January 202, all open houses became virtual, and the majority of our students didn’t get the support they should receive from their schools in the high school application process. We hosted our annual application workshop, but this year brought in experienced admissions counselor Desiree Jones to get families organized and on track in the application process. During the workshop, we discussed researching schools, creating a balanced list of schools, and reviewed admissions criteria. In January, we held our first ever high school experience panel. In this virtual event, BJPL high school students spoke about how they chose their school, what their experience has been like, their connection with the school community, and more. We heard from students from an array of schools, including parochial, specialized, charter, and arts-focused.

In early October, 12th graders began their weekly Zoom meetings with BJPL College Success Counselor Rhynna M. Santos. They finalized their college lists, created weekly and semester time grids to work on time management skills, and set personal and academic goals for the next year and their future. In late October, we held our annual FAFSA workshop for seniors and parents with the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation. and in November we held our annual college essay workshop with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Barry Bearak, where students workshopped each other’s final drafts during this round table-style meeting. In addition to this, students attended weekly college application open labs each Saturday beginning in October, where they received one-on-one support from volunteers on their essays, supplemental questions, and more. Students also received support for building their portfolios through individual appointments with the Education Manager Bianca Farrow and Education Program Assistant Justin Baez. 

8 out of 10 seniors applied to a range of CUNY, SUNY, and private universities. By December, Fanta Diop was accepted to Middlebury University, one of top ten liberal arts universities in the US, through the highly selective Posse Foundation.

BJPL alumni continued to receive support in their educational and professional pursuits. All 10 graduates of the Bronx Junior Photo League’s 2020 class matriculated to universities this fall, starting their freshman years at Cornell University, City College, Borough of Manhattan Community College, Baruch College, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Cooper Union, Hunter College, SUNY Oswego, and Syracuse University. These students, and other BJPL alumni currently enrolled in college, had monthly check-ins with Rhynna and received updates from the BDC on different scholarship and job opportunities. 

In addition to our usual BJPL programming, students received extensive support through virtual open labs in submitting to the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, the nation's longest-running and most prestigious recognition program for teens. Six 12th grade students submitted work to the 2021 awards. In October, BJPL students and alumni participated in a student-moderated panel discussion about photography as a tool for connection and reflections during Photoville’s education month. The BDC also provided onsite space for students or alumni who needed wifi or a quiet space for remote learning throughout the fall. 

Spring Session

In December 2020, we decided to continue with virtual learning for the rest of the program cycle; it was the safest option, allowed for less disruption, and more concrete planning. BJPL teaching staff met in early January to revisit and revamp their curricula and work together to brainstorm virtual photography activities for the upcoming semester. Throughout the start of the spring semester, teaching staff also participated in a series of three workshops on trauma-informed teaching practices with Heidi Landis, a Licensed Creative Arts therapist who specializes in trauma-informed work and the use of creative arts therapy techniques. These experiential workshops provided staff with a greater understanding of how traumatic stress impacts childhood development and how trauma performs, particularly in the classroom and in the current online environment. Staff also learned and brainstormed creative strategies for supporting children to address challenges, promote resilience, and heal from the effects of abuse, neglect and violence, and collective trauma.

Screenshots from the third and last workshop of the series on March 27, 2021 that explored self-care and well-being for the teaching artists through expressive arts therapy techniques.

After a few weeks of break for the holidays, the BJPL started back at the end of January with a virtual student-parent orientation to discuss upcoming virtual NYC college trips, open to all BJPL students and families and break into individual classes to discuss upcoming curricula for the semester. For all four classes, the spring semester is divided into a six-to-eight-week-long project intended to introduce skills needed for final projects and to encourage collaborative work, and ten weeks devoted to final projects: photo and audio explorations on a story about something important to them. All students will present their work in a public virtual presentation on June 3rd and 4th and will have their projects and artist statements published on an exhibition website and displayed onsite in one of the BDC’s galleries. 

The middle school class transitioned from their 2020 time capsule to thinking about what they want the future to look like. They learned about the photo essay and continued to build community within the class through collaborative photography and interviewing exercises. The introductory high school class also focused on local stories through the photo essay. Each student was assigned a radius project: photographing within a five-block radius of their home through both landscapes and portraits. Photographer Joseph Rodriguez visited the class in March to discuss his work “Spanish Harlem: El Barrio in the 80s” and how he navigates creating portraits of communities. The advanced high school class explored how distilling larger stories into a focus on an individual can have such a strong impact. This process included learning about interviewing, editing the interview, taking portraits, collecting archival materials, and writing a short profile story. Award-winning radio and podcast producer Lu Olkowski visited in February to discuss the art of the interview and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Barry Bearak visited in March to discuss the basics of writing a profile. 

We held two creative conversations, workshops open to all BJPL students and alumni, with photographer and former BJPL teacher Vi Nguyen and filmmaker and BDC Films teacher Giacomo Francia. These conversations were held for students to learn from breaking down the artistic process. Vi Nguyen shared her recent thesis project and photobook “Heart size is normal” and shared how she told the story of her family’s journey through both new work and an understanding of her family’s archive. She discussed with students how they could utilize a similar process to present their past in interesting and innovative ways. Giacomo Francia explained the different paths a filmmaker can take through his career and explored how filmmaking, versus photography, deals with time differently, both in the process of creating the work and how it’s perceived by the audience. 

BJPL college success work continued over winter break, supporting students applying to colleges, and focused on working with younger high school students at the start of the spring semester. In February, we held our annual NYC college tours, visiting six schools via Zoom, which allowed middle and high school students, their family members, and friends to take advantage of this opportunity. This year we focused on meeting with current students, including BJPL alumni, learning about their opportunity programs, and their commitment to financial aid. We spoke with the VP of the Caribbean Student Union at Columbia University; met with the SEEK directors and BJPL alumni Awa Fofana and Pamela Rozon at City College and Hunter College (respectively); had a presentation from photography professors, department heads, and students at LaGuardia Community College; and spoke with BJPL alumni Gianni Zambrano and Fanny Aucacama at Baruch College and Borough of Manhattan Community College. We finished out the week with a workshop for our juniors, where they began their official college list.

The BJPL College Success Counselor continued to work with 12th graders throughout the spring to ensure all application materials were in place and prepare them for interviews. She began to meet monthly with the 11th graders, preparing them for the year ahead. At the end of March, we held our spring break college tours. In the past these tours were a chance to travel upstate to visit colleges with 11th grade students, but this year we decided to take advantage of the virtual format to invite all BJPL students and visit schools outside of New York. We spoke with alumni from McGill University and photography professors at Concordia University, both in Montreal, Canada; met with a Brown University alumnus, now lawyer, who spoke about the importance of investing in yourself through your education, and six current Brown students; spoke with a Princeton University alumna and the head of their photography department; and had a discussion about building your portfolio with a photography professor and admissions counselor at SUNY Purchase. We focused on need-blind versus need-aware schools during these tours, and why that is such an important consideration in the building of your college list. 

In February, it was announced that all 6 BJPL students who submitted work to the 2021 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, Anastasia Cardona, Fanta Diop, Lucki Islam, Bryan Monge-Serrano, Reynaldo Olivera, and Chloe Rodriguez, received regional recognition for 39 pieces of photography, film, writing, and art portfolios. Anastasia Cardona, Lucki Islam, Fanta Diop, and Chloe Rodriguez, all 12th grade students who have been with the BJPL for many years, received Gold Key recognition for a total of 16 Gold Key awards. A photo by Fanta Diop was also named an American Visions Nominee, one of five works, from across all categories and grades, selected as the “Best-of-Show” for each local program, and Lucki Islam’s Gold Key-winning photography portfolio will allow her to be considered for a scholarship award. Gold Keys have their work exhibited in the Metropolitan Museum of Art from March 19 - May 21, 2021.

In March, it was announced that Fanta Diop was awarded five national medals, four silver and one gold. Only 2,000 works received a National Medal, which placed Fanta within the top 1% of all submissions.

In March, through a connection facilitated by the BDC’s Executive Director Michael Kamber and filmmaker Teena Pugliese, BJPL students met members of the Standing Rock Youth Council via a Zoom call. Two weeks later, the students Fanta Diop, Lucki Islam, Chloe Rodriguez, and Adanna Taylor, accompanied by Education Manager Bianca Farrow and Teaching Arist Sean Sirota, made their way to Washington, D.C. to photograph the actions by youth from the Standing Rock and Cheyenne Reservations against the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) and Line 3. The covered an exchange of gifts between indigenous leaders and local Black Lives Matter activists and a full day of actions, beginning from the Museum of the American Indian and ending in Black Lives Matter Plaza in front of the White House.

On March 16th, it had been exactly one year since our first BJPL staff Zoom meeting in 2020. Many of our same teaching staff have continued since then to work with both returning students they’ve known for years, and newer students that they’ve neer met in person. As many of our students hit a wall at the anniversary of the pandemic, our teaching artists continued to meet with their pods, reach out to students individually, and touch base with parents. Between our teaching staff, College Success Counselor, and Education Manager, we have cast a very wide support net for our students and alumni.