If only all huge corporations gave back to the community like this: Levi's opened the doors to the second installment of its workshop series in New York on Friday, focusing on photography. The first, in the company's hometown of San Francisco, was all about printmaking, and that kind of DIY attitude is just as prevalent here.
Anyone who walks into the workshop off the street is entitled to sign out one of the dozens of vintage cameras available for loan, get a little refresher on how to use them, and then get the film developed or the digital versions printed. While you do have to pay to take home your film stills, the digital stuff is free, and the formats are impressive: postcards, t-shirts, full-on posters are all gratis. The latter would be most appropriate for the in-house studio (with full lighting schemes and technicians) available for use by the general public as well. The Photo Workshop, housed in the former Deitch Projects space at 18 Wooster Street, will have its doors open for three months along with plenty of community programming, online and in-store.
There are, of course, other things for sale, but the offerings are limited to what a photographer would want, or need. The only clothes are trucker jackets and five-pocket cords, the only bags are for carrying camera equipment, and the only books are about photography. It's an immersive experience and an opportunity for pros and amateurs alike to use equipment not available to the public (for pay or free), and in that, it's also a challenge. Levi's has put up the resources and the venue; now it's up to the public to use them wisely.
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