When we arrived to the Art Institute of Milwaukee, Jon was very outgoing and more than willing to have us in his classroom. He introduced us to the students and we immediately got to work.
After taking a few photos, you could tell Jon began to forget we were there. As an artist himself, you could sense he was originally uncomfortable with being the subject, but over time he became more comfortable with the flashes.
Brown teaches 8 interns for ArtWorks for Milwaukee who meet at the Art Institute every Friday to work in programs like Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign creating their own anti-drug and violence campaign posters.
ArtWorks' mission statement is to prepare underperformance teens to enter Milwaukee's workforce by utilizing the arts as a method to teach employability skills. ArtWorks provides interns with a mentor and resources that help develop their professional skills while embracing tolerance and diversity.
My partner Andrea Anderson, Social Justice and Religion reporter for the Marquette Tribune, was very helpful especially when we were taking different photos from various perspectives in the room. When it came to the interview she was also an immense asset when asking follow up questions and ensuring clarity in the sound bites. I really enjoyed this opportunity to work with Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service and hope to do so in the future.