FINLAND

In 2018 I was fortunate enough to receive a Fulbright Distinguished Award in Teaching fellowship to Finland. The following winter my family and I moved to the city of Jyväskylä in Central Finland where I was placed at the local university (JYU). My time in Finland was spent researching both language supports in schools and social supports in multicultural centers all around the country. Suffice to stay, the experience was transformative for me, both as an educator and simply as a person. The below portraits were taken at local high schools, multicultural centers and universities.

Teachers

For the past 13 years I have been photographing Newburgh’s teachers in their classrooms. The goal from the start has been to construct a kind of collective personality of the educator by literally and figuratively shooting them all straight on. The portraits on this page are a small sample of this series. All the teachers work in the Newburgh Enlarged City School District in Newburgh, NY.

Liam Henderson, History, Newburgh Free Academy, Main

Anne Hovey, English, Newburgh Free Academy, North

Christine Hutchinson, In-School Suspension Director, Newburgh Free Academy, North

Jason Michalek, Guidance Counselor , Gidney Avenue Magnet School

Cobb, Gym, Newburgh Free Academy, North

Glen Northern, English, Newburgh Free Academy, North

Librarians, Newburgh Free Academy, North

Andrea Conklin, Math, Newburgh Free Academy, North

Dennis Keane, Math, Newburgh Free Academy, North

Gina Dillatte, English, Newburgh Free Academy, North

Families & Artists

Documenting the family has always been a love of mine. The herding and bribing of the kids, the coaxing and cajoling of the unwilling, has given me a stronger idea about what works and does not work when it comes to making a photograph. Most importantly, it has given me a stronger idea of the beautiful humanity of my subjects.

One of the benefits of living in Beacon, NY is the surplus of artists and their willingness to support the artistic process. I have mixed them in with the family portraits because often the artists I shoot are also part of my family.