Are you passionate about photography, visual journalism, graphic design or film and video?  If so, reserve your spot today at the Brooks Institute Open House and find out how you can prepare for an exciting career in the visual and media arts!

RSVP: 888.304.3456

When        Where                                                                                       

Sat. & Sun.      3/1-3/2         Introduction to Adobe Photoshop -  NEW PRICE

Sat.-Mon.         3/1-3/3         The Path to Fine Art

Fri.-Sun.          3/14-3/16     Exploring the Light  (Lighting Studies)

 Fri.-Mon.          4/4-4/6         Travel Photography

 Fri.-Mon.          4/4-4/6         Fashion/Modern Lighting

Sat. & Sun.      5/10 - 5/11   Fine Art Nudes  (Just Added!)

Sat. & Sun.      6/7-6/8         Photographing People in Context

Sat. & Sun.      6/14-6/15     Portrait Lighting (Intermediate Portraiture)

Sat. & Sun.      7/19-7/20     Commercial Lighting

TBD

TBD

November

“MICHAEL THOMPSON: selected works” is collection of 25 fashion, celebrity, and still life images from 1991 to present. The collection is presented in large scale and the installation has been specifically culled by Thompson as an overview of his life as a professional photographer.

Tamiesie’s exhibit “Signs of American Life,” is a series of selected photographs that documents the relationship between humanity and the American landscape. Rather than examine the urban, the images focus on the spaces in between, the place of the traveler, where human life is less evident.  In this quietness, far from familiar, one might expect solitude and encounter nothing more than vacant land and the open road. These isolated settings illustrate a dichotomy between nature and humanity that brand elements such as an abandoned vehicle, tourist destination or by humans themselves. These photographs are evidence that the image of the American landscape as an uninhabited wilderness is dissolving and that human life is often closer that one might imagine.

Bryan Watt graduated from Brooks Institute’s undergraduate program in December 1998. He then entered the graduate program and became a graduate assistant teaching the first two courses in the professional photography program. While he was a student, he spent time in Laos where he was overwhelmed by the desperate need of children in the area. Returning to the U.S. he inspired his wife, Dr. Leila Srour, to give up her pediatric practice in Santa Barbara and move to Laos to help these children in need. In May of 2002, they made the move and have lived and worked there ever since.

In the northern city of Muang Sing in Laos near the Chinese border, there is a temporary classroom structure built out of sticks with a thatched roof. The Watts’ current objective is to rebuild a permanent school with a children’s center for 286 children. Brooks Institute is dedicated to help them achieve this goal. On June 5, 2008 we will have a silent auction of prints donated from the alumni, staff, faculty, and friends of Brooks Institute in an effort to raise the $20,000 needed to complete the project.

Bryan Watt believes a socially responsible photographer leaves with a part of the subject’s soul; and in return, must give by helping those in need. Bryan and Leila help to arrange medical care at the local, provincial, and national level, and have also helped Lao children to travel overseas for heart surgery and facial reconstruction. Bryan donates 100% of the profits he makes from his photography to support his cause while Leila donates her medical expertise to the children.

 This event is free and open to the public. For more information on Laos and the children’s fundraiser, please visit www.laochildren.org. Or you can contact Brooks’ photography faculty member, Russ McConnell at (805) 690-7612. Bryan Watt and his wife, Dr. Leila Srour will be in attendance at the fundraiser. The Brooks Cota Street Gallery is located at 27 E. Cota Street in Santa Barbara.