CEPA Gallery’s Mapping Community After-School Program with Valley Community Association Students

CEPA Gallery’s Mapping Community After-School Program with Valley Community Association Students

CEPA’s Mapping Community program was created to expose young people to Buffalo’s rich history and culture. Working with students from ages 12-16, Mapping Community encourages in-depth exploration and photographic interpretation through research, site visits and creative writing.

Students from Valley Community Association (founded in 1968 to serve South Buffalo’s historic Valley Neighborhood) worked with CEPA teaching artists, Nikki Gorman and Karen Lewis, photographing sites located in the Old First Ward including Mutual Riverfront Park, Buffalo Riverfest Park, Republic Street train tracks, Valley Nature Park and Habitat Trail, Red Jacket River Front Park, Mazurek’s Bakery and Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church. Students created postcards, writing to friends, family or sometimes to fictional characters, relaying their experience of places they photographed.

A celebration was held at Valley Community Association where families and friends were invited and students were able to exhibit their work, read their poems and talk about their experience with the Mapping Community Program.

To enroll your student in Mapping Community, or to bring any of our after school programs to your community, contact CEPA’s Education Director Lauren Tent:
By e-mail at lauren@cepagallery.org
By phone at (716) 856-2717
Together, we can put together a customized after school program that suits the needs of your youth and your budget.

Zachary with Karen and Nikki at exhibit at Valley
Photographing at Buffalo Riverfest Park
Photographing at Buffalo Riverfest Park
Lateiona with Karen and Nikki at exhibit at Valley
Ariana with Karen and Nikki at exhibit at Valley
Lauren Tent
lauren@cepagallery.org