Jamie Murnane

A small group of twentysomething hipsters gather at one of the long booths near a large, flickering projection screen at the back of Rodan, the swanky Asian restaurant and lounge on Milwaukee Avenue.

DJs Ben Fasman and Madrid spin while the group sips gin and tonics, imported beer and wine. Avoiding the typical discourse of pop culture and the like, these individuals discuss--over the intoxicating house music--the state of Chicago's public-housing communities and the kids who live within them.

Resembling average club goers, this group of five is comprised of artists and activists from Inner City Light, a nonprofit program of Friends of the Arts. The program, headed up by photographer Charles Angell, works with students from public-housing projects like Cabrini Green and Jane Addams, getting them to explore their environment and express themselves through the art of photography by providing them with disposable cameras. And tonight is "just us trying to get money to keep this going," Angell says.

Angell explains how his idea for the program was born, as slides of the fifth to seventh graders' work flashes on the wall. "I had been shooting the exterior of these places for a while. I was really into documenting community housing being demolished," he says. "But then I began to feel that I was exploiting it." So he decided, as he says, to help bridge the cultural gap and demonstrate that beauty really is everywhere.

(2004-08-31)

Also by Jamie Murnane

Still curious
The Rhino fest has been known for showcasing some of the most groundbreaking, original theatrics since its inception
(2004-08-25)

'Do it
Lake Michigan dances on one of the protruding second floor platforms of Vision nightclub, shimmying and shaking to the DJ's beats
(2004-08-03)

The Naked City
Dressed as though she's just come from church, Carol's a polite, fragile-looking woman. Her husband George stands near a towering pine tree nearby, completely, shamelessly naked.
(2004-07-20)

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