Brooks Institute Brings Teaching and Photo Exhibit to PhotoVentura

SANTA BARBARA, California – September 10, 2007 – Brooks Institute Ventura campus will be one of the stops during the upcoming PhotoVentura multiple gallery shows throughout the city from October 20 through November 3.

The hallways of the Brooks Institute campus will display work of Greg Cooper and Paul Myers, both instructors in the school’s Visual Journalism program. Their show, called "The Getty Center: The Way We See It" consists of pictures showing each photographer’s point of view about the life and grounds of one of the country’s leading art centers.

The show will be open during the PhotoVentura premier event called Gallery Crawl on Saturday, October 20 from 4-8 pm. All participating exhibit spaces will be open at this time allowing viewers to view the wide range of photography available in the festival.

The Getty pictures will be on display at the Brooks Ventura campus from September 17 through October 29, and the instructors will have their own reception on Friday, October 12 from 6-8 pm. The Brooks Institute Ventura campus is located at 5301 N. Ventura Ave., Ventura, CA 93001.

In addition, Brooks Institute instructor Donna Granata will offer children a photography class called KidzSnap! from 2-4 pm on Saturday, October 13 at the Bell Arts Factory, 432 No. Ventura Avenue. This will be a chance for youngsters age 12 and under to get tips and techniques on making good pictures.

At the end of the class each child will be given a disposable digital camera to make pictures during the following week. The theme for the assignment is "What my home/hometown means to me." The resulting pictures will be displayed in a PowerPoint presentation at a public reception for the children and their families at Bell Arts Factory from 4-7 pm. Granata will speak about the KidzSnap! project at 4 pm.

While Cooper and Myers both teach in the Brooks Visual Journalism program, each has taken a slightly different approach for this exhibit. Of his images, Cooper said "My approach is to illustrate the Getty Center the way I see it. I look for non-traditional angles, light, and form and then, somehow, incorporate the human element into that."

Regular field trips to the Getty are part of Cooper’s teaching plan, so he incorporates them into his curriculum. This allows him and his students time to shoot and a chance to look at the exhibits. "I time the field trips to align with a photo exhibit. Most of the students have not been to this magnificent place before," Cooper said.

Myers calls his Getty Center work "street photography in a single place." He said he attempts to portray "What is the feeling of the Getty?" At the same time, like Cooper, people are important elements in his photographs. "Stones and masonry are the backdrop," Myers said. "It’s people that make the place alive."

Two multimedia pieces by Myers will be incorporated into show. One is a program of some 70 of Myers’ images set to music. The other is a video in which Myers followed Cooper, incorporating Cooper’s own photographs into his finished piece.

PhotoVentura was created to give the many talented photographers of Ventura a venue to show their work at one time. Photographers are asked to make their own arrangements for display space in galleries, shops, schools and other sites around town. The artists are also responsible for publicizing their exhibits, while PhotoVentura promotes the overall event.

Any photographer can participate by creating an individual show or by collaborating with others. PhotoVentura encourages shows on clotheslines in parks, on city streets, or even on the sides of buildings visible to the public. Classes and workshops on photography are also welcomed.

There is no charge to have a show in the PhotoVentura event. There is, however, a $30 fee to be included on the event website and on the event map. In addition, the City of Ventura charges for a one-day permit for space on a sidewalk or in a park.

Additional information is on the PhotoVentura website at www.photoventura.com. PhotoVentura organizer Stephen "Shaf" Schafer can be reached at schaf@west.net.

About Brooks Institute
Brooks Institute celebrates more than 60 years of educating students in the visual and media arts. With campuses in Santa Barbara and Ventura, California, the school offers Bachelor of Arts degrees in fields including Professional Photography, Visual Journalism, Film and Video Production and Graphic Design, and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Photography. Brooks’ graduates are visible nationally and internationally, working for distinguished organizations including National Geographic, Smithsonian, Los Angeles Times and other national media outlets, including Hallmark Publishing, Cousteau Society, HBO, Kodak and other industry leaders in the visual media arts fields. For more information about Brooks Institute and the school’s programs, visit www.brooks.edu, or call 805-966-3888.