KIDS + FAMILIES

FotoFest presents FotoFence 2011.  Opening Reception Sunday, May 1.  On view through May 14. FotoFest's Literacy Through Photography (LTP) school-based education program invites the public to join in celebrating the creativity and academic success of Houston area students at the opening of FotoFence 2011, the annual year-end student exhibition on Sunday, May 1 from 2-4pm.

The FotoFest gallery, located in the historic Downtown Warehouse District of Houston, provides a backdrop for over 900 Houston-area students to display their writing and photography, including traditional photographs, web-based photo blogs and digital collages. The students' work will cover the expansive two-story gallery space at FotoFest for two full weeks. The entire community is invited to come out and listen to readings by selected student writers, enjoy refreshments provided by El Tiempo Cantina, take family photos in the green screen photo booth and, most importantly, reflect on the student art works that explore and present the very real struggles, joys, growing pains and accomplishments of students from Houston schools.

This school year over 2500 students from 32 Houston-area schools are participating in FotoFest's LTP program. LTP works with classroom teachers to provide them with training in visual literacy that helps students make visual connections in core curriculum, including English, history, geography and science. The visual literacy training for teachers reinforces the traditional curriculum and provides students with a new language that helps them communicate their life experiences and dreams for the future.