Film Tutor Shows Photos In Adams Common Room

Visitors to the Adams House Junior Common Room will have a window on a different world this week during a special exhibition of photos of children in a local housing project.

The exhibit, phtographed and arranged by Adams House resident film tutor Yule Caise '86-87 and film-maker Thomas Harris '85, includes approximately 30 black and white photos.

Entitled "Exerpts from 65-C Codman Park," the show is made up of pictures taken last summer while Caise and Harris were filming a still-incomplete documentary film project about a Phillips Brooks House (PBH) summer program. The PBH venture places Harvard students as tutors and counselors in the Academy Homes II housing project, located in Roxbury.

The photographs depict Black and Hispanic children aged 5-14 in a variety of situations in and around the project and on a visit to a local beach. "They hopefully capture some of our impressions, experiences, and friends from the summer in different moods," Caise said.

The exhibit will remain on display until March 12 when Caise will take the photos with him to San Francisco for the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Awards ceremony.

Caise and Harris said they decided to take the pictures when Adams House Senior Tutor Greg Johnson '75 asked them to create a documentary about the summer experience. Adams House resident arts tutor Renee Chong '86 then asked the pair to create an exhibit based on the documentary, she said.

"I've seen their work and I knew that there was a lot of interest in the film," Cheng said. "They've put a lot of work into the film, and it seemed like a good idea to have something to show for it before it came out."

The exhibit opened on Thursday when Caise and Harris spoke at a Adams House Arts Table.

"This is a film which explores the inter-relationships between the Harvard students and the kids," said Caise. "It's about people trying to get involved and give something back to the community while they're still in college."

Caise said he hopes that the film will encourage other universities located in urban areas to create public service projects which involve the local communities.