Photography Program at Empire State College

Photography Program at Empire State College

The Empire State College photography program was formed to meet the needs of individuals overlooked by traditional educational institutions. How do artists find an educational outlet after pursuing a career for a number of years? How are artists to gain valuable experience in a new field of interest without going to school fulltime? How is a college to treat the growing demand for career-oriented artists re-entering college for a new direction? Empire State College has developed a photography program that offers a way for people to study photography in an open and carefully organized atmosphere.

Learning through experience has been the foundation of the program since its inception in 1972. Co-founded by Will Fowler, Mel Rosenthal and Ken Wittenberg. The program has thrived on the belief that involvement is the single most important aspect to a successful career in photography. That entails playing an active role and getting out in the streets and taking pictures. This practical approach supports the photographer's desire to establish a professional foothold. Rather than spending hours in a classroom reading about photography the emphasis is on application.

Original in both its mission and purpose as an educational institution, Empire State College has brought photographic programs to the "educationally bypassed", people such as: working professionals who do not want to sacrifice their job for full-time study, educators searching for a career shift, artists who are already established in their field and are looking for new mediums to explore, and photographers who are already pursuing their careers yet are interested in finishing their degree.

Photographers are taught to work independently and design their own curriculua. Up to 96 life-experience credits may be earned by those who have a background in various jobs and disciplines. Rewarding artists for their experience has always been an important aspect of the school. In addition to executing a realistic approach to photography, Empire State College brings photographers into close contact with instructors with whom they wish to study through a tutorial-oriented study program. Students also learn how to plan and execute projects that may take months to complete. They are then able to discover what works and what doesn't.

Mel Rosenthal, co-founder of Empire State College's Photography Program and head of the Photojournalism Workshop, describes the school as an alternative and innovative institution which "combines theory and practice so younger photographers are out doing assignments instead of reading about them."

Students who have studied at Empire State College are happy with the results. They have learned from professionals who are actively engaged in their field. Photographers who choose the program bring with them "a lot of experiential learning," states Dr. Rosenthal. They are not "made" but helped along towards realizing their goals and directions as professional photographers. The program does not influence the photographer, but allows them to understand their relationship to their community, medium and particular aesthetic.

In fact, the boundries between so called "going to school" and being a professional are purposely blurred by a program that leaves the structure and choice of classes up to the students. Mr. Rosenthal makes it clear that an important goal is: "To help people learn how to learn -- to encourage them to go back over their own experiences and see the kind of coherence that their learning has had." Photographers are highly productive once they are given the time, freedom and instruction that promotes self-discovery.

Many of the photography students have worked with such instructors as Ozier Mohammed, Robert Stevens, Charles Biasiny-Rivera, Eli Reed, Sylvia Plachy, Alex Webb, Max Kozloff, Nan Goldin, Budd Williams and Marilyn Yee -- photographers who push the student to look at the world of photography from a realistic viewpoint. In addition to the high-quality teaching staff, students have the option to cross register in any number of schools that are part of the SUNY system.

Artists from culturally diverse backgrounds have found the photography program a relief from the common choices currently available. Photographers such as James Cuebas, Shawn Walker, David Green, Bendedict Fernandez, Abby Robinson, Eli Reed, Sylvia Plachy, Rosalind Solomon, Shawn Walker, Marilyn Nance, Dona Ann McAdams, Joe Rodriguez, Ricky Flores, and Dawoud Bey have all attended Empire State College's Photography Program. Dawoud Bey describes the environment as receptive to minority artists. Yet it is not an easy program. Mr. Bey says, "The weight falls on you, and you alone, because there are, for the most part, no regularly scheduled classes. But if you do manage to get through it, you are probably organized for life. The habit of organization stays with you after you've left and carries over into other areas of your life." The emphasis on the individual is to teach self-reliance -- a learning process which reaches way beyond the classroom and remains active throughout ones life.

From Critical Mass, by Rodney Sappington

Published by En Foco Inc.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Contact Dr. Mel Rosenthal, Director of Photography Programs, Empire State College, 325 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10013-1005 (Tel: 212 647-7853)

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