Note: Image shown is of a previous project by the artist.

Faces of Pittsburgh is a photo workshop to empower and engage students from underserved communities. The artist, Janette Beckman, teaches students how to take a great photograph, focusing on the elements of seeing, composing, editing and most importantly telling the story of their own communities.

Beckman will send the students out into the community to make portraits of the folks that live there. The images the students produce will be displayed on walls and digital billboards around town.

Beckman aims to help the students reach their own potential, understand the power of photography and art, engage within their communities. and perhaps inspire them to become the photographers, journalists, and writers of the future.

Janette Beckman is a British-born photographer who now lives and works in New York. She began her career at the dawn of punk rock working for music magazines The Face and Melody Maker. She shot bands from The Clash to Boy George as well as three Police album covers.

Moving to NYC in 1983, she was drawn to the underground hip-hop scene and photographed pioneers such as Run DMC, Slick Rick, Salt’n’Pepa, Grand Master Flash and LL Cool J.

Beckman has published four books: Rap, Portraits & Lyrics of a Generation of Black Rockers, ‘Made In The UK: The Music of Attitude 1977-1983, The Breaks, Stylin’ and Profilin’ 1982- 1990, and ‘El Hoyo Maravilla. Her work has been shown in galleries worldwide and is in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian Museum and the Museum of the City of New York. She is represented by the Fahey Klein Gallery. Beckman continues to chronicle sub-cultures of our generation and works on shoots for fashion brands such as Levis, and Dior.