August 1, 2023

Summer Classes
FreshLens is in the midst of a busy summer with three class offerings. Basic and Event A are on site and going strong in their last two weeks.

Summer Basic Show
Ravenswood ArtWalk
Saturday, September 16
12:00 to 2:30 pm

4001 N. Ravenswood Ave Ste 105
Chicago, IL 60613

AKAM Exhibit           
We are again programming with long time Englewood community partner, A Knock At Midnight, in the One Summer Chicago program. One Summer Chicago is an initiative that provides youth with employment and enrichment opportunities during the summer months. FreshLens is providing the photography programming and we are proud that our teachers are FreshLens Alums, Vanessa Luna and Peter Tovar. 

Careers in Photography
Many of our students are pursuing careers in photography and it is vital that our students have real world experience. Many professional photographers have been very generous with their time. On July 28 and 29, American Photographic Artists (APA) and the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) have invited FreshLens to attend a talk by Austin Photographer Scott Van Osdol and on Saturday FreshLens students will join professional photographers photographing Urban Growers Collective (UGC), a Black and women-led non-profit farm in Chicago working to build a more just and equitable local food system. Rooted in growing food, their mission is to cultivate nourishing environments which support health, economic development, healing, and creativity through urban agriculture.

Event Corp
Once students complete Event A and B, they will enter our event corp. Our students are available to photograph events throughout the Chicagoland area. In July, we were honored to photograph the ReinventAbility’s inaugural DisFest which opens doors for disabled creatives. Contact Denise Orlin orlind@freshlenschicago.org to schedule a photoshoot for your event.

DisFest 2023 | Photo credit: Mia Coppiano