The St. John School of the Arts is offering a class in photography taught by Nancy Borowick and William “Bill” Stelzer. Suitable for all levels of experience, the course will be held at the school’s Cruz Bay location on Tuesdays beginning Feb. 11, from 7:45 to 8:45 p.m.
“The goal is to get people excited about photography and storytelling and to help each student walk away with new skills and a new way of seeing using the tools they have — a phone or a camera,” said Borowick.
Participants may attend one session or the entire series (which has no end date yet). “Bill will be covering more of the technical aspects and theory, and I will focus more on story and project development,” Borowick said.
The cost for each session is $20. Because space is limited, students are encouraged to sign up in advance by following this link: https://www.stjohnschoolofthearts.org/events-2-1/photography and clicking the “register” tab.
Both Stelzer and Borowick have published their work in the Virgin Islands, but their reach goes far beyond the islands.
Stelzer has shot documentary footage on a Peruvian glacier and created mini-documentaries in Haiti, Nicaragua, St. John, and Florida for the One Laptop Per Child project. He specializes in art, science, education and humanitarian projects, using all manner of digital media, from photography and design to computer graphics and augmented reality.
Stelzer studied industrial design at Michigan State University and film at The University of Texas at Austin, and his work has been shown at Bajo El Sol Gallery in Cruz Bay, the Caribbean Museum for the Arts on St. Croix and The Museum of Contemporary Art in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Borowick is a graduate of the International Center of Photography and has exhibited her work in over 100 cities worldwide. Working regularly with The New York Times since 2013, she has told the intimate stories of people and places from every corner of the globe, winning her major accolades and awards.
Her deeply personal work documenting her family’s life — when both of her parents were diagnosed with cancer — was published in The New York Times and highlighted in the Source. Most recently, she won the Humanitarian Award from the organization Women That Soar for her photography and recent monograph, The Family Imprint.
Jeune´ Provost, executive director of the St. John School of the Arts, said Borowick and Stelzer have both made their careers out of telling stories about the human condition with their photography. “We’re looking forward to their sharing their talents and their insights,” she said.
The photography class is one of several classes now offered to adults as part of the school’s Community Arts Program, Provost added. Other classes include Tango, held Tuesdays at 6:45 p.m., V.I. Art History on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m., and Caribbean Movement on Thursdays at 5:30 p.m.
For further information, call the St. John School of the Arts at 340-779-4322.
