made by teens

Yesterday I spent the afternoon as a visiting artist at a residential treatment center in rural Maine, which specializes in working with troubled teens. Unlike other facilities of this kind, intensive therapy is at the heart of the program, which includes daily counseling, physical work, animal and nature therapy, and visual art. The head teacher of the art program purchased Fotoplay books for all of the teens, and asked me to give a presentation on my work. It was such a pleasure for me to be there. The teens were open, inquisitive, enthusiastic, and so eager to create Fotoplay pages.

The work they made was candid, compelling, and poignant, given the intensity of the experience they are living, and their willingness to express themselves so freely.

A number of the teens made pages like the three above, which focus on moving away from pain, darkness, and old habits, toward new beginnings that are brighter and more colorful, yet “Under Construction”. Take a closer look at the drawing above, with its cinematic, story board depiction of a journey from a cemetery, through a burning house, through the fire, the sea, and a hot oven, into a home with flowers and a rainbow arcing out of the chimney.

Note the skeleton lurking behind the chimney. And the young boy who observes the drama, with a rose in one hand, and a sword in the other. There is also the addition of this text: I live in my mind, and I know there’s no equal.

Not all of the pages were quite so overtly bold. Some were lovely, light, funny and playful, like this one with its series of celebratory starfish:

In speaking with the teens, I learned about their interests, some which were reflected on the Fotoplay pages. As in the page below, which transforms me into a skateboarder (with a magic wand!) and a boom box. Note the camera on the front of the board, a sports camera, filming me as I roll along.

I also heard about teens interested in graffiti and design. Take a look at this cool, graphic page below, with its “Help Wanted” sign…

…and this soft, lovely illustration of a horse…

…and this easygoing drawing of a tree, and my written prompt, amended with the (hilarious) sentence: No it’s a tree…

One of the boys asked if they could take a book back to the common area of the farmhouse where they live, (yes they could) so they could work collaboratively on pages, and also so the book could be filled over time. I look forward to seeing that book some time in the future. I look forward to seeing layers of work that builds as the teens leave their marks behind…

…and I look forward to seeing more pages like the one above, which was created in the most straightforward way, by a young man who quickly completed his work and raised his hand, asking me if I’d like to see his masterpiece.