‘Focus on Kids’ photography on exhibit in Talkeetna

Some things are worth going into town for — or even out of town for — depending on where you live. In either case, you are assured of some real Alaska enthusiasm when you get there. The town is Talkeetna, and the enthusiasm is all about an exhibit of kids’ photography.

Emily La Porte is operations manager at the Denali Arts Council and is very excited about the upcoming “Focus on Kids” exhibit, which opens Nov 12, with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Sheldon Community Arts Hangar on Second Street behind the West Rib Pub. Meet participants and their families, and feel free to bring along your friends and kids for this special annual public event.

If you have ever been in the red hangar, you are probably looking for an excuse to return. It is always full of surprises, usually with local art enthusiasts wanting to share their talents, and this occasion is no exception.

“We are proud to announce that 25 kids are participating in this year’s show; a show which, only three years ago, the average number of participants was eight kids,” La Porte said.

La Porte said longtime Talkeetna resident Grete Perkins started the event in 2007 in memory of her son, Chip, who was an avid photographer.

Part of the process included some creative funding by the community.

“Money was raised to support the program and to buy simple digital cameras for the kids to use,” La Porte said. “Good quality digital cameras are expensive and the ones that Focus on Kids has to loan to the kids do not allow for high-resolution prints.”

Yet, they are making the best of what they have available, it seems.

“This is truly a collaborative effort. Organizers feel that photography is a good, inexpensive and accessible way to teach young artists about the elements of art such as balance, color, composition, interest, movement, abstraction and the list goes on,” La Porte said.

“Focus on Kids participates in the Talkeetna Elementary School Art Week,” she said. “However, the pictures are not limited to only the art week participants.”

According to La Porte, “Michele Crow, a professional photographer who lives in the community, offered to spend three days with the kids teaching technique, composition as well as editing the photos.”

La Porte and Crow, along with three other volunteers (Holli Papasadora, Dora Miller and Collen Love, all local photographers and/or educators) have offered workshops for kids in the Talkeetna region leading up to this event.

“The art week program was in February at the school, so the kids shot a lot of indoor photos, playing with different lighting and abstract photography,” Crow said. “During the summer, Holli Papasadora offered several workshops that delved more into perspective and event photography. Dora Miller got together with the homeschoolers and they got to work on creative editing. The cool thing about this age group is the lack of competition about their creative ideas. If one has a great idea, everyone else wants to photograph it as well. They experiment and learn together.”

Students’ ages vary from the youngest — Miranda Hacker, 4 — to the oldest — Haley Loper, 15.

Up to three photos were submitted by each participant “so we could make the final choice and allow for more variety,” Crow said.

Future events may allow the kids better opportunity to do post-processing work with their images if Crow can find a way.

“During art week we were able to use the computer lab at the school,” she said.

“Kids are happy to see their creations beautifully framed and hung on the gallery wall. Each year the photos get better and we think this year’s show will be really good,” La Porte said.

All-in-all, the combination of community interest in art and culture, and the new generation carrying on the enthusiasm, makes a great combination for a photo show to be remembered.

Suzanne Bach is a local artist who teaches at Mat-Su College.