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The Shot Collective’s Gallery Event: A YOUmedia Lookbook

This Wednesday, YOUmedia and The Shot Collective will reveal their great collaboration between teen youth and professional photographers at a unique event called A YOUmedia Lookbook.

We caught up with The Shot Collective’s Founder, Garrett Sweet, and here’s what he had to say about the collaboration and what to look forward to at next week’s event!

Photo Credit: Andrew Glatt

About the Event

On March 7, The Shot Collective will host a benefit event in support of the Chicago Public Library’s YOUmedia program, at Low Res Studio. This event will showcase over 100 photos from a collaborative photo shoot with YOUmedia teens styled by Jugrnaut, and photographed by some of Chicago’s hottest photographers.  The event is available to all ages, with beats by DJ Iggy, and an open bar – with all tips going to support teen programming throught Chicago Public Library’s YOUmedia program.

A Mentor-Driven Partnership

After featuring the Chicago Public Library Foundation as their inaugural charity partner, The Shot Collective came up with another creative way to add value to the relationship.  “We wanted to use the shoot as a unique way to inspire,” Sweet started. “Seeing how mentor-driven YOUmedia was, partnering in this way was an obvious fit.” And fit it was! Together, The Shot Collective created a full-scale photo shoot tailored to the interests of many YOUmedia teens: fashion and photography.  From getting styled by Jugrnaut, picking out their own outfits and participating in a full editorial shoot – the experience was a success.  “The collaboration was about showing them what its like to experience a professional photo shoot,” Sweet explains.  “Posing, lighting, being a subject (…) This was our way of giving them a hands-on, one-on-one experience with creative professionals in the field.”

Photo Credit: Garrett Sweet

About The Shot Collective

The Shot Collective is a photography project formed in the spirit of philanthropy featuring a cooperative of Chicago based photographers. As an official partner of the Chicago Public Library Foundation, profits from The Shot Collective’s online marketplace and live gallery events directly support the Library Foundation and CPL programs citywide.

About YOUmedia

Every year, 4,600 middle and high school teens from across Chicago travel to one of YOUmedia’s 12 sites to hang out, mess around, and geek out. Supported by a cohort of specialized teen librarians and dedicated mentors, YOUmedia teens use these energetic spaces complete with the latest technology to explore their interests, develop their resumes and share their talents among peers.  Whether its cutting an album in the sound studio, learning to code, designing and marketing a line of clothing, or learning about aperture —the program helps students develop critical 21st century skills to help them achieve their academic, career, and social pursuits.

Photo Credit: Nolis Anderson

Get Involved

The Foundation shares The Shot Collective’s excitement in revealing the 100 photos to the public, showcasing the best of next generation collaboration.  To join us in this unique event, you can RSVP here. To learn more about The Shot Collective and their pool of Chicago photographers, you can visit here. To learn more about the Chicago Public Library’s national model in engaging teens in out-of-school learning programs, visit our website’s YOUmedia page.
To support Chicago Public Library’s cutting-edge programs, you can make a donation here.
We thank The Shot Collective for their continued support – extending a special thanks to the YOUmedia Lookbook’s participating photographers:  Andrew Glatt, Sandy Noto, Alina Tsvor, Nolis Anderson, Michael Salisbury, Jess Weston, Garrett Sweet, Roger Morales and Evan Brown – thank you for sharing your time, talent and passion with Chicago’s youth and demonstrating what it means to be #dedicatedtothecurious.