The Sidewalk School

Sidewalks are among the last remaining truly public spaces where people from diverse backgrounds come together. Beyond the walls of the classroom, sidewalks are essential spaces of learning for cultural and social learning experiences.

The Sidewalk School blends photography and mindfulness, drawing inspiration from the flâneur, a curious wanderer who observes the city with an unhurried, perceptive gaze.

Through hands-on photography workshops, participants slow down, look closely, and engage with the diversity of people, places, and moments to illuminate the heart of a community.

“Andrea has been many kinds of teacher for me. She taught me all the basic rules of what makes a good photograph, how to use them and appropriate times to break them. I am now the staff photojournalist at The Wyoming Tribune Eagle Newspaper in Cheyenne, WY.”

- Milo Gladstein (former student)

Andrea Passarella mindfulness photography workshops

Museum visits and critical discussions deepened the learning experience, encouraging students to see more closely and question artistic choices. From photographs, they examined why a photographer framed a moment in a certain way; from paintings, they studied the deliberate use of light. Documentary, street, and fine art photography became pathways for creative expression and meaningful engagement with community life.

The workshops balanced instruction, agency, and play, encouraging experimentation, reflection, and the development of an authentic artistic voice. Documentary, street, and fine art photography became entry points into broader conversations about culture, identity, and community.

Andrea Passarella mindfulness photography workshops

Shaped by years of practice and evolving with each new group, the program fostered technical skill, creative confidence, and a heightened awareness of the world’s visual language.

Ultimately, the project aims to build a flexible pedagogy; one that can be adapted to any city, with any age group, and encourages participants to look closely, engage deeply, and use photography as a tool for connection and expression

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