Picturing A New Creation

P I C T U R I N G

A NEW CREATION Photo by Henry

BY AMY DURKEE

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hiladelphia natives know the predominantly Latino neighborhood of West Kensington as “The Badlands” —a crime-ridden place to be avoided at any hour of the day. But the people of New Creation Lutheran Church see it differently.Through their community center, Centro Nueva Creation, they are teaching local kids to view their neighborhood as “The Goodlands.”

At around 3:00 p.m. each weekday, 60 or so exuberant children clamor down the stairs to the church basement and race to the kitchen window to receive their snacks. Like many inner-city churches, New Creation offers an extensive afterschool program to their neighborhood’s youth.At first glance, New Creation’s after-school programs look very much like a lot of others: Kids do their homework, get tutored if needed, and then have time for crafts, computers, or recreation. Stick around, however, and you’ll see what makes the program at Centro Nueva Creation so unique.

Today, after homework time, nine kids ranging from age 8 to14 prepare to launch into a new session of the photography class. They are divided into groups of three and each group is given a disposable camera. As the children gather around on the sidewalk outside the church, instructor Rebecca Sherman announces,“Today we’re going to tell the story of Palethorpe Street, and we’re going to do that with pictures.”

She explains that each child will be allowed eight photos. Once the film is used up, they are to meet back at the church.

The groups of three children and one adult spill out onto the street. Kids are dashing to and fro looking for good pictures.

William takes a photo of a 4-foot-high mound of debris from a demolished building. Jazmin climbs narrow cement steps to find a ravioli can, its jagged lid pried back, with a metal spoon protruding from the opening. She wants to capture the work of a team of ants busy salvaging what’s left of the contents.

They photograph flowers in front of a house, then a lanky boy in his late teens. (As we walk away, the young photographer confides quietly, “My sister knows him. He deals drugs.”)

Princess snaps a shot of a mural dedicated to a loved one who lost his life on that corner.

Pastor Patrick Cabello Hansel explains,“The first time out, the kids take pictures of the bad things in their neighborhood, like trash and graffiti.Then, we send them out to look

Photo by William

Photo by Henry

P

Photo by Arantxa

Photo by Henry

P O S S I B I L I T I E S The more faith you have, The more you believe, And the more you achieve.

So reach for the stars, Pick a mountain to climb, Dare to think big, And give yourself time.

And remember, No matter how bad Things may seem, With faith there is no Impossible dream.

Mabel

PRISM 2004

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Photo by Luis

Photo by Lilybeth

for beauty, and they start to find it!”

Next week, the kids will come back together to look at their prints. Rebecca Sherman and the other assistants will help them critique their work and send them out again to incorporate what they have learned.This time, the assignment will be to take pictures that show hope. Eventually, the older children will be introduced to manual, and then digital, cameras.

The photography classes are part of New Creation’s broader vision of using art as a means of transformation in West Kensington.A few years ago the church began a mural project, taking the streets back from graffiti artists. More recently poetry classes have been introduced, offering young people the chance both to write and to perform their works. Kids from the center have also been working with a professional company to produce a video entitled “Peace in the Goodlands.”

When Pastors Patrick and Luisa Cabello Hansel arrived 10 years ago,the church was empty and the streets were littered with hopelessness and fear.Their desire was to bring to this community the gospel message—that we are all a new creation in Christ.

In seeking to bring hope and restoration, Patrick, a poet, and Luisa, a painter, viewed their challenge through artists’ eyes.

When asked why art plays such an important role in the outreach of his church, Pastor Patrick says,“I have seen so many places where art can be transforming.Art gives us the chance to be co-creators with God. When you are able to create, you have power.When you are creating, God is working through you. Creating gets you out of yourself and into the community. It breaks the isolation.Your act invites others to respond. Young people, in particular, really want this. They want to give, but often don’t have the support to do that.”

For three years, children participating in the photography project have had the opportunity to display their work through

an exhibit that travels throughout Philadelphia. Entitled “The Goodlands,” the exhibit secures such venues as local churches, universities, foundations, and galleries. Exhibiting their photography not only gives the budding artists a chance to show their work but also helps to change the way Kensington residents and the rest of Philadelphia see the neighborhood.

The theme of the current exhibit, which features photos from last summer’s class, is peace. One print shows fresh vegetables from the neighborhood’s community garden gathered into the arms of a young girl. In another, fleecy white clouds adorn a deep summer-blue sky. One photo, titled “The Ice Water Lady,” shows an elderly woman smiling on her porch next to a sign offering cold drinks for sale.

Professional photographer Lisa Godfrey has been the instructor for the past three exhibits. Explaining why photography is such a powerful medium with kids, she says,“It allows them to express what they might not be able to express in words. It transcends all languages. This is their view of the world through their own eyes.”

The goal, says Pastor Patrick, is not simply to open the children up to their own artistic sensibilities.Whether through painting murals, writing poetry, or photographing their neighborhood, these kids are seeing their community differently.

And, he says, “The act of seeing the neighborhood differently makes it different.”

While their pictures are bold and pride radiates from their faces, the kids are invariably shy when asked about their work.

It seems that, for now at least, they’d prefer to let their art do the talking for them. ■ A freelance writer living in western New York, Amy Durkee is a regular contributor to PRISM.

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