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Exploring the Bronx with Photographer Dondre Green

This week, we’ll be sharing the stories of African-American community members in celebration of #BlackHistoryMonth, which runs throughout February in the US.

“I want people to see things differently,” says photographer and educator Dondre Green (@dondregreen). “I want to shift people’s perspectives, and I want to push boundaries.” After losing his full-time job, the 24-year-old Bronx, New York, native was eager to tackle a passion project. That was the beginning of @bronxnarratives, a short documentary highlighting the beauty of the borough and its residents that transformed into an online publication. Since launching, Bronx Narratives has partnered with local groups and businesses to host community events like photo walks to hidden neighborhood gems. “I’ve lived in the Bronx my entire life, yet I never explored it,” says Dondre. “I love learning about different cultures and people as it helps widen my perspective on how I view the world. Luckily in New York it is easy to do, since it’s such a big melting pot.

photography, Bronx, Bronx Narratives, Dondre Green, BlackHistoryMonth, instagram,

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Combating Negativity with Artist Brandon Stanciell

This week, we’ll be sharing the stories of African-American community members in celebration of #BlackHistoryMonth, which runs throughout February in the US.

“Some people have paintbrushes, and they paint. Some people have cameras, and they shoot photos. But for me, it’s flowers and hair,” says artist Brandon Stanciell (@themanwholovedflowers), whose series “The Man Who Loved Flowers” is a response to the rigid depictions of black men in the media. Taking inspiration from Shel Silverstein’s “The Thinker of Tender Thoughts,” which illustrates a man teased for the flowers growing out of his head and eventually cuts them off, Brandon’s florally endowed portraits offer an alternative response: “Don’t let anybody else tell you how to be you. Don’t let society cut off your flowers. Just keep them growing.”

photography, portrait, 35mmfilm, BlackHistoryMonth, Shel Silverstein, masculinity, Brandon Stanciell, instagram,

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Love and Foundation: The Cornerstones of Brittani Sensabaugh Work

This week, we’ll be sharing the stories of African-American community members in celebration of #BlackHistoryMonth, which runs throughout February in the US.

“Our beauty needs to be documented by somebody that can relate, by somebody that gets the mission, and sees the bigger picture,” says Brittani Sensabaugh (@brittsense), an Oakland, California-based documentary photographer. “The bigger picture with me is always unconditional love and building — building prosperous foundations.” This is the inspiration behind the 27-year-old’s “222 Forgotten Cities” movement, which aims to document and uplift misrepresented “melanated” people around the world. “It’s a reminder that no matter how much pain and struggle we go through, we will find ways to shine and rise above it.”

photography, 222 Forgotten Cities, Oakland, Brittani Sensabaugh, BlackHistoryMonth, African American, instagram,

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Printed Pattern People: Challenging Standards and Showcasing Beauty

This week, we’ll be sharing the stories of African-American community members in celebration of #BlackHistoryMonth, which runs throughout February in the US.

“I credit my Nigerian-American upbringing and extensive international travels as my main creative influences for designing,” says Shadé Akanbi, the mind behind Printed Pattern People (@printedpatternpeople). She describes her Brooklyn-based clothing line as an exploration of cultures by way of fashion. “When I meet other makers around the world, I repeatedly encounter this reverberating truth that we are more alike than we are different,” Shadé says. “Printed Pattern People is telling this story.”

Two of the most photographed Printed Pattern People models are Tulani and Angelique, Shadé’s best friends and longtime supporters. “As a woman of color, it goes without question that I use models that reflect my everyday reality and showcase the beauty of the places and people that these textiles represent. That makes sense to me,” she says. “Their effortless beauty breathes so much life into my pieces, it really blows me away. There are not nearly enough positive images of women of color in the public eye, so this is how I can contribute to making that change; this is my standard of beauty.”

photography, BlackHistoryMonth, Nigeria, printedpatternpeople, fashion, textiles, Shadé Akanbi, instagram,

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Celebrating the Social Impact and Technique of Jordan Casteel’s Art

This week, we’ll be sharing the stories of African-American community members in celebration of #BlackHistoryMonth, which runs throughout February in the US.

Vulnerability, openness, humanity — these are the qualities Jordan Casteel (@jordanmcasteel) offers in every brush stroke. Her work invites the viewer to confront the ways her community is represented. “I have a twin brother and an older brother,” says the New York-based artist. “They’re the ones who continually inspire my practice around black men in particular, because I always felt keenly observant of my surroundings and the way they were experiencing the world.”

Her family is rooted in social justice – her grandfather, Whitney Moore Young, Jr., was a central figure in the US civil rights movement – and his legacy has been ever-present in her life and in her work. “It is important to me that within my practice, people recognize me not only for the social impact of this work, but just the sheer degree of strength of material, color play and technique,” says Jordan. “I am not just a painter of people and stories. Within that, I’m also implementing myself as a black woman into a history that has for centuries negated my story, or not seen it as being as impactful or masterful.”

photography, art, painting, civil rights, Jordan Casteel, BlackHistoryMonth, instagram,

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Chasing Dreams with Chris de Bode

To see more of Chris’ work, follow @chrisdebode on Instagram.

Chris de Bode (@chrisdebode) has spent the past six years with his #EyesOn the dreams of children in a dozen countries and counting, from Afghanistan and India to Mexico, Mozambique and beyond. Working on his “I Have a Dream” project, a long-term assignment for Save the Children Nederland, Chris has photographed countless children and has been struck by one common thread. “We all have dreams,” says the photographer and filmmaker from Amsterdam. “But some of us can dream bigger than others. Some of the children I met did not spend their days fantasizing. Those children were busy surviving.” It’s no accident, meanwhile, that the project’s title echoes Martin Luther King Jr.’s most famous speech. “His words are saved in our collective memory,” Chris points out. As for his own dreams, Chris voices a hope that’s both lofty and humble: “When you understand a person from a personal point of view and understand the context in which they live, it is much easier to connect with them. And that is my goal — to make people more sensitive to the world around them.”

photography, EyesOn, Save the Children Nederland, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Chris de Bode, instagram,

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Weekend Hashtag Project: #WHPdisguise

Weekend Hashtag Project is a series featuring designated themes and hashtags. For a chance to be featured, follow @instagram and look for a post every week announcing the latest project.

The goal of #WHPdisguise was to get creative with the concept of disguise. Each week, we feature some of our favorite submissions from the project, but be sure to check out the rest here.

weekend hashtag project, whpdisguise, photography, instagram, disguise, united kingdom, australia, venezuela, indonesia,

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instagram, photography, the week on instagram, twoi269, vietnam, japan, germany, iceland, united arab emirates, sweden, india,

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Celebrating Lunar New Year with Miniature Artist Jocelyn Teo Ai Wei

To see how the Instagram community is celebrating the holiday, check out #LunarNewYear.

Jocelyn Teo Ai Wei (@aiclay) just baked pineapple tarts for #LunarNewYear. Now, she’ll re-create the tasty treats with her signature tiny replicas. “I think the obsession with food is universal,” says the Singapore-based food sculptor who started crafting with polymer clay in 2009. “People are naturally drawn to things outside of the usual scale, larger or smaller than life.” Her creations have become so popular that Jocelyn’s fans are eager to make them, too. She recently hosted two Lunar New Year workshops where participants created their own pineapple tarts, mandarin oranges and a layered cake called kueh lapis, all festive Lunar New Year goodies.

For Jocelyn, the holiday marks a time to take a break from the studio: “My favorite part is meeting up with my family, cousins, aunts and all. It’s the time of year when everyone puts aside their work and the festive mood is just tingling in the air.”

photography, Lunar New Year, miniature, foodart, clay, sculpture, Singapore, Jocelyn Teo Ai Wei, rooster, instagram,