First Exposures helped me gain the confidence & momentum to chase my dreams

Dear Friends,

My name is Ty’Ler Banks, and I am excited to share how First Exposures has helped shape my artistic journey. After spending five years in the program, I moved to New York City, where I am currently studying at Parsons School of Design. Looking back, I cannot help but gush about how First Exposures catapulted my artistic career and continues to champion my work even after I left the program four years ago.

I started in the digital photography-mentorship program at First Exposures when I was twelve years old. I had no idea what to expect, but I have to say that the mentorship component of the program was huge for me in that I had someone to bounce ideas off of and just chat about photography. Plus, I got extra attention that just wouldn’t be possible in a traditional classroom setting. 

Support the Power of Mentorship & Photography

Early on in my digital class, we had a Photoshop demo, and Jose, my mentor at the time, and I played with the settings of a photograph of my friend from school. I changed the color balance to shift it toward blue tones and was like, “Yeah, that’s it!“ Jose celebrated my artistic instinct while also pushing me to consider the composition, which has really stuck with me. Now, when I make images, I think to myself, okay, the composition has to be good, as well as the content of the image. I am still connected to Jose today, whose positive attitude always gives me a boost.

One of the major community builders and one of my favorite events is Looking Forward, Giving Back. As a young artist in the show, it was so special to see hundreds of people looking at my work and to talk to everyone. My stepdad went, and we had such a good time together. Ever since, he’s been my number one supporter, and he has encouraged me to pursue my dream of moving to New York. And I was really able to achieve that goal!

Empower Young Artists

With the fall semester right around the corner, I hope you will consider making the most generous gift you can to help First Exposures continue to provide outstanding photography-mentorship sessions and experiences for young artists like me. I can attest that gifts–of any size–impart meaningful support, empowering young people to thrive, express themselves creatively, and become leaders in our communities. 

First Exposures helped me gain the confidence and momentum to chase my dreams. After I graduate college, I want to open a gallery in the Bay Area to provide a space to exhibit and mentor young artists of color. I want others to have the same opportunities as I did, so together, let’s expand our thriving artistic community in the Bay Area.

 With appreciation,

Ty’Ler Banks

Photographer & Student at Parsons School of Design

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