Project Space Artist Residency Collaboration

Jenn Poggi and Josh Meltzer both teach photojournalism at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). Since 2017 they have been collaborating on a documentary film about public education in Rochester, NY. “Against the backdrop of systemic challenges and contemporary political struggles around improving outcomes, we are creating a film that unpacks the complicated story of equitable public education in the Greater Rochester region. The film is told from the perspectives of those impacted most – the students, their families and educators. Providing historical context will be a critical component of the project, which will demonstrate how a legacy of laws, policies, and prejudices have laid the foundation for structural and systemic racism today.” 

Secretary Treasurer of the New York State AFL-CIO Terrence Melvin addresses a crowd gathered to protest proposed teacher cuts ahead of a school board meeting on December 19, 2019. Hundreds gathered along Broad Street in front of the Rochester City School District headquarters in Rochester, N.Y. by Jenn Poggi and Josh Meltzer ©Jenn Poggi and Josh Meltzer, courtesy of the artist.

 

This program is supported in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support the New York State Legislature; the National Endowment for the Arts; the Max and Marian Farash Foundation; and Joy of Giving Something