The kids are alright - Who said that

I allowed enough time to sit outside and watch people enter the building on our first day of class. While outside, I

wrote a list of fears about attending ICP, which one day will share. I will say, my inner critic was hard at work.

The entire school, with the exception of the front desk, is underground. The school begins as glass cubicle at street

level (6th Ave and 43rd St) and drops one staircase to a catacomb of white walls.  

The walls house classrooms, the student lounge (pictured above) 

office space, studios, and a library.  It is the ultimate natural light-tight darkroom.

We are divided into two programs: General Studies (GS) and Photojournalism (PJ). In all, there are 90 fulltime, one-

year certificate students. And another 25 or so MFA students.

My fellow students are from China, India, Italy, Mexico, Venezuela, Italy, Mexico, Israel, Poland, Columbia, Thailand,

Ecuador, India, Argentina, Peru, Brazil, Egypt, Iran, Indonesia and, of course, the US. I am the only Canadian. In

the GS program, one student is as young as 18. Another as old as +56. The average age is late 20's to early 30's.

Phil Block is the Deputy Director of Programs and founder of the Light Work residency program. He told us we were

on a collision course with ourselves and everyone else (meaning the world around us). Phil acknowledged the

financial and personal costs of attending ICP, which are significant. I appreciated this recognition. 

Alison Morley, chair of the PJ program, told us to think of this year as gift; an opportunity to realize all the ideas

floating around in our heads. She said to honour ourselves and our work. 

After lunch we met with the GS chair, Marina Berio. Marina is pictured above in the strappy sandals beside

the fellow in the green t-shirt and empty chair. She asked us about the visual cultures that inform each of our

respective regions. This dovetailed into a discussion about whether photography is a skill, or an art, or both in our

countries of origin. 

Marina provided an overview of our required and elective courses. I am partidulary interested in "Visual Thinking for

Magazines" with NY Times photo editor Clinton Cargill and "The Extraordinary Portrait" with Amy Arbus (daughter of

Diane Arbus). And of course, "Introduction to large format photography".

 I am not sure I will be able to maintain a detailed blog once classes start. The photos will, of course, continue. 

Perhaps just with extended cutlines.

 Thanks to those for the feedback and encouragement, on and offline.