Children

My interest in the lives of children is a thread throughout my career, starting as a senior in college when I taught creative self-expression at inner-city schools in Providence (see my book Picturing Providence about children’s photography). One day, my after-school photo class wanted to take a field trip to a park across town; they all had bikes, but I didn’t have one (or a car). Ronnie, one of my fourteen-year-old students, had the brilliant idea that I could ride on his handlebars, clutching my satchel and camera precariously as he pedaled us along. I felt “part of the pack” briefly; that sensation of joy and spontaneity in exploring the wider landscape together wasn’t a part of my own childhood. I developed a great appreciation for the enthusiasm and directness of children, tinted by my reservations about the world they would face in adulthood.