We are halfway through an intensive 8 week photo course at New York Film Academy (West Coast Branch). This semester's students come from all over Panama and represent a cross section of this small but interesting country. The students were given grants to study photography in Los Angeles by the Panamanian Government.
Each Friday, we take a trip somewhere to make pictures and learn about photography. Last Friday we went to Riverside, CA to visit the UC Riverside Museum of Photography and to have lunch at the amazing Tio's Tacos, where the garden has been converted into a grotto of art made from recycled bottles...The charming and inspiring Martín Sanchez, originally from a small town in Michoacan, Mexico told us of his childhood in absolute poverty, his rise to the American middle class as the owner of a restaurant, and his dislike of the throwaway culture in the United States. By creating his grotto, he was able to recover the spirit of playfulness that he did not get to enjoy as a child. His advice was to work hard at whatever we do if we want to succeed.
We also met photographer and author Douglas McCulloh, who documented the way America's ring suburbs are now developed in his recent book called "Dream Street". The title comes from the name of a street in a dull, faceless suburb that McCulloh won the rights to name at a charity auction. McCuloh's documentary project brings the reader from the first survey of the lots to the building of the homes by workers who were once paid living wages for their skills but are now paid piecework wages. After meeting Mc Culloh at the museum, we took a trip to Dream Street to see a typical 21st century American suburb.
