WHO WE ARE
Stella ‘Ydalmi’ Estrella. Salt Student since 2010
Graduated Magna Cum Laude, Hunter College 2019
OUR MISSION
NYC Salt is an artist-led digital photography residency whose mission is to engage, inspire, and empower youth from underserved 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.
WHY "SALT" ?
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. 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. We immerse young artists across NYC within these incredible process of creation.
OUR VALUES
Creativity & Curiosity
Community & Belonging
Longevity
Opportunity
Founder & CEO, Alicia Hansen, with Salt’s first student cohort
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 with renowned photographer Joe Mcnally, Alicia understood that photography—and fluency within the visual industry—could expand possibilities for underserved youth.
