July 7 – September 2, 2016
The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture presents The Yesler Terrace Summer Youth Media Project, an exhibition featuring photographs of the Yesler Terrace community and redevelopment project, in the Seattle City Hall Gallery, July 7 through September 2, 2016.
The exhibition is a result of the Summer Youth Media Program at Yesler Terrace Community Center, a seven week intensive program where teens discovered their voice through photography and video. The program focused on the residents and history of Yesler Terrace and the impact of the current redevelopment project on their community.
The Yesler Terrace Summer Youth Media Project explored their diverse community and transition through 40 photographs taken by 20 teens ages 13 to 18 years old. The Seattle Housing Authority has committed to a 15 year plan for the redevelopment of Yesler Terrace. Built between 1941 and 1943, Yesler Terrace is home to 1,200 residents and represents one of the most diverse and economically challenged communities in Seattle.
The Summer Youth Media Program at Yelser Terrace Community Center was developed in partnership with arts organizations such as Youth In Focus and the Fine Arts Department Photography Program at Seattle University. Based at the Yesler Learning Center, students had access to a digital media lab and learned both analog and digital photography, video production, digital imaging, journalism and documentary practices in interviewing, investigating and writing. The project allowed students to engage with their community, identity, history and their future.
The project was made possible through the support of Seattle University Youth Initiative, Humanities Washington, the University Unitarian Church Seeds for Justice, the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture and the Department of Neighborhoods Matching grants program.