ARTESTEEM a part of the Attitudinal Healing Connection
John Veltri innovated and taught a unique photography-filmmaking class, Shoot Camera Not Guns, to ArtEsteem students at the Attitudinal Healing Connection in Oakland, California.
Funded in part by the Zellerbach Family Fund, Shoot Cameras Not Guns was a big success - for the children as well as the instructor and his assistants. Veltri, who taught the classes to elementary school students for three years, was continually impressed with the children’s enthusiasm for learning new skills, the respect they had for his professional equipment, and their pride in accomplishment. The class exemplified for him the Attitudinal Healing Principle, “We are students and teachers to each other”.
The amusing little video clip above, filmed by ArtEsteem students in Oakland, California, features Attitudinal Healing Director Kokomon Clottey, who stopped by the class one day to teach the children about a valuable life-and-photography principle, “Point of View”.
A promotional film about ARTESTEEM, an art and social justice program that uses the arts as a tool to help children improve self-esteem, build community, and increase academic and emotional literacy. An integral part of Oakland, California’s Attitudinal Healing Connection, ARTESTEEM was founded by Amana Harris.
The short film below, an excerpt of a larger project that was created for the Attitudinal Healing Connection, was produced from an archive of media about ARTESTEEM that John and Marguerite created for the Attitudinal Healing Connection over a 9-year period of time. Photos by John Veltri and Marguerite Lorimer. Music by Kokomon Clottey.