MISSION

NYC Salt’s mission is to engage, inspire, and empower youth from underserved, predominantly immigrant communities in New York City to reach their full potential and develop a sense of agency, belonging, and integrated identity through the lens of a camera. We achieve this through multi-year, rigorous, sequential photography and video instruction taught by artists and industry professionals combined with individualized mentoring, college preparation and guidance, career exploration, employment opportunities and vocational training.

NYC SALT creates opportunities in visual arts and pathways to college and career for underserved New York City youth from diverse backgrounds who are dedicated to careers in the arts, by engaging them in a rigorous blend of professional photography instruction, college-preparatory workshops, and career exposure.  Our goal is to help student artists build advanced visual arts skills and the determination, confidence, and grit they need to succeed in college and future careers.

HISTORY

In 2005, Alicia Hansen, a professional photographer with over 25 years of experience as a freelance photographer, photojournalist, and producer, began Salt as a small photography class for 8 teenagers in Washington Heights. Inspired by her work on National Geographic’s first digital story, Alicia understood that photography—and fluency within the visual industry—could expand possibilities for underserved youth. NYC Salt was officially launched as a 501c3 nonprofit in 2008.

Now, in our 20th year, Salt serves 200+ young artists annually—in our studio, as well as in public schools and community centers. Our studio moved to a central location in Chelsea, giving us incredible access to galleries, museums, and creative business, and is accessible for mentors and guest lecturers. Our space hosts a professional photography studio, computer lab, and photography library.

Using the top equipment, professional instructors, and dedicated mentors combined with college preparation, our deep engagement has helped 100% of our students graduate high school and attend college at top arts and communications programs— mostly on full or partial scholarships. 90% work in the creative industry. Our students are consistently published in Bloomberg News, Bon Appetit, National Geographic, Rolling Stone, Time, The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, and other major publications. Our alumni also regularly photograph celebrities, spearhead major campaigns for television shows and brand companies, exhibit internationally, and win awards for their work.

WHY “SALT?” — OUR VALUES

One of the very first processes for turning a negative image into a positive print — or developing a photograph — was called the Salt Print. Early photographers soaked paper in a solution made from table salt followed by a strong silver solution, forming a coating of silver nitrate that was sensitive to light. In using table salt, a whole artistic practice was created.

Salt transforms everything it touches. Salt seasons, preserves, and draws out the best. As a foundational element of the visual arts and instrumental in photography, our program strives to incorporate the ways that salt enhances the world around us. Like salt, photographs preserve how we remember the world—and they are world-making tools in themselves. Our partnership with underserved communities immerses young artists across NYC within this incredible process of creation, engaging our core values with the intersections of salt and visual arts.