Interview with sisters Francesca and Alex Thomas

See Francesca's Photos and hear her audio story on Yahoo! NEWS.

Photos & story of now 16 year-old Francesca Thomas.

“I used to wonder what I was going to be good at,” says 15–year old Francesca Thomas (top left).  “Now I found it: darkroom. I found my niche.” Her goal? To be “the best printer ever.” She says, “I’m getting better and better…” So good, in fact, that this spring she was asked to work as a Youth Art Mentor in the darkroom with Lead Artist Joanne Kim. About mentoring she says, “It’s cool working with Joanne, teaching other kids what I know… and being in charge.”

Francesca has come a long way in the year and a half since she, her 13 year–old sister Alex (bottom left), and their mom moved from South L.A. to Venice. Up until that time, the girls hadn’t had much exposure to the arts.  However, according to Alex, when they learned about Venice Arts’ programs during a youth outreach presentation at their church, “Photography was the first thing that caught my ear. From there we knew we would sign up.””

Now, they are dedicated young artists. Between them, they have taken 18 classes including digital arts and film, but for both it has been photography that has been their passion. They are deeply moved by documentary photography and think it is an important way to expose problems in the world. “I used to think that artists didn’t matter,” Alex says. “There are so many of them here in L.A. But then I learned you can really make a living doing all different kinds of photography. And you can really make a difference.”

“Yah,” Francesca chimes in, “Born Into Brothels changed my life.” 

Before coming to Venice Arts, Alex did not think she was very creative. “When I started, I thought photography would be a fun hobby, but now it’s a big part of who I am.” She describes how she has grown over the last year and a half. How she used to look for a pretty picture, but now—when picking her strongest images for her upcoming exhibit, for example—she looks for the best image—“Better composition, angle, light. That kind of thing.”

According to Francesca, “Photography changed me a lot… Even when I walk down the street, I see everything differently. I see good shots everywhere.” She would like to have a camera of her own to capture what she sees outside of Venice Arts’ classes.

This summer, Alex and Francesca have been chosen by Venice Arts to receive two full scholarships to the two–week summer art residency at Idyllwild Arts. Francesca will also continue as a Youth Art Mentor and—who knows—maybe in a few years they’ll be having their own two–woman show. One thing is for sure, as Francesca sums it up, “I love photography and I want it to be a permanent part of my life.

The first thing that people notice when they meet 11 year-old Eaden Kiflezgi is her unbridled enthusiasm. She literally bounds into a room, her smile covering her face. Eaden, a resident of Mar Vista Gardens housing project and a Venice Arts participant since she was 4 years-old, says what she loves most about Venice Arts is that "the mentors listen to us. They teach us how to do everything…to take pictures of things that impress us, (to learn) different things every single day."

Venice Arts' Creative Director, Jim Hubbard, affirms Eaden's unique eye. "Eaden personifies the spirit of a child eager to learn and create. She has a keen eye, a sharp mind, and she's funny. Her picture of a boy, his arms filled with junk food, she titled 'Choose Your Poison.' When documenting a memorial for a shooting victim she knew exactly what she was going for. 'Sit by the flowers. Now cry!' That ranks her with some of the toughest photojournalists I've ever known."

Eaden, the youngest of 6 children, was born in the United States, but her parents and 4 of her 5 older siblings immigrated from Eritrea, in east Africa, to escape political turmoil. Her family has lived in Mar Vista Gardens for 10 of Eaden's 11 years and her dad is the minister of an Orthodox Eritrean Christian Church.

While an outsider might see the Gardens as a scary place—there was recently a mid-day shooting in front of the rec center where Eaden hangs-out and, a few weeks later, a homicide just outside the Gardens—Eaden see things differently, "[It's] is a place that I'll never forget in my life. Even if I live far away some day, I am going to come back and visit. I trust everyone here with all my heart." When asked what she would change she replied, "Nothing. There are some bad things, a lot of cops coming in. But MVG is safe. They [people in her school] think it's dangerous in here. I really don't care." She continues, "You could just walk around and you'll be safe. In the projects, my parents know I'm safe. The gym is my other home. I'm not allowed outside the projects by myself. I love it here. Even if I was rich, I'd live here."

Eaden developed a true passion and talent for photography when, she says, "My mentor showed me how good my picture was." That changed everything for her and she started to believe in her ability. "I thought I wouldn't be able to keep up with everybody, but I could! Even better than some!" When asked, she hesitantly calls herself an artist, but passionately describes herself as creative. She says, "I do stuff that other people never think of doing. I wouldn't just take a regular picture… I make it interesting." To illustrate this point, she describes step-by-step how she got on the ground to get a close-up of her friend's shoe pulling hot sticky gum from the street, saying, "You can make [anything] look interesting. Many things that you think aren't. You can photograph them and make them look so cool."

In 2005, Venice Arts awarded Eaden a scholarship for a two-week residency at Idyllwild Arts Academy where she studied photography. And now, with multi-year support received from the National Endowment for Arts earlier in 2005, Venice Arts will be able to expand its programs at Mar Vista Gardens for young people like Eaden, who hopes to continue until she is eligible for Venice Arts' Advanced Studies program.

How does Eaden imagine her future? She is already thinking of taking pictures for special occasions and creating gift cards "and stuff," while she is still in school. She might like to develop black & white film and says, "It is really good to know how to do things like this when you're young." Words of wisdom from an 11-year old photographer.

Interview with Datura Krasinski, Age 15

Datura was born and raised in Venice in a household of artists. She remembers going to art openings and galleries since she was 3 years old and thinks it was “pretty influential” in her life.

Datura has mainly been studying photography at Venice Arts. “[At first] I really wasn’t very good, it was just fun to be with my friends.” But, now, Datura thinks photography “has made me more observant” and jokes, “[its] made me, like, the excellent star photographer I am today.”

Printing in the black & white darkroom is now Datura’s favorite thing to do and she has become a very skilled printer,good enough to assist in the darkroom this summer as a Youth Art Mentor. About this experience, she says, “It makes you feel proud when [the students] do something you taught them.”

Datura feels fortunate to grow up in L.A. and have access to programs like Venice Arts. “Venice Arts is a privilege for kids in the neighborhood. It gives opportunities. Some kids aren’t gonna be good at creative stuff. Some kids will, but they don’t know it because they don’t have programs for them. Venice Arts gives them a chance to find out.”
Datura has many dreams for her future including directing “surreal” movies or, possibly, being an illustrator for a magazine. She plans to go to school in New York although she also loves Pittsburgh saying, “It has history, and is both modern and industrial.” And she wants to travel to South America, Peru, Chile, Brazil, Asia, India, and maybe Japan.
Whatever paths she chooses, one thing is certain, Datura will have many stories to tell.