Anchorage-based photographer Young Kim opened The Stoop in April. He says he spends a lot of time working on his own projects, and felt like the community could benefit from the same resources.
The Stoop offers film processing and scanning, printing for photographs, and has a workshop component as well.
“There is a classroom side and it’s kind of malleable — so you can move tables around and use it as a space to do critiques,” Kim said. “Or have a meeting or just watch movies or something.”
Kim is planning on hosting different photographers from other countries and parts of the U.S. to host workshops and give opportunities for local photographers to have more affordable options to learn.
“Everyone that’s been here has given some positive feedback,” he said. “I wanted to set this place up as a place to learn and grow a community within the photo world, and I think that going to college or learning in an academic setting is great. But, it’s not for everybody. It’s expensive, and sometimes it can feel out of reach for people, so I wanted this to be an alternative to that path.”
He also sees it as a gateway to connect. Kim completed grad school at the University of Hartford, a low-residency international program that allowed him to stay in Anchorage while interacting with cohort members from around the world. He thinks that model can be easily replicated and emulated at The Stoop.
“It was kind of a cool factor, and because of that option, the alum are all over the world, so we just have a huge network,” he said. “I think it works really well, especially now, because in the digital age, you can talk to anybody anywhere.”
Kim says he has plans to turn one of the rooms into a community dark room, where people can use the space to process their own film and make prints. He’s also working on a photo book library component.
“This space is new, and I think I don’t know what it could be, but I’m really open to anything that’s photo-based, video-based, community based or all of the above,” Kim said.
The Stoop is located at 301 E Fireweed Lane, and will be hosting a photobook social on Sept. 28, an opportunity for people to network and flip through some books.
Sam Davenport is a writer residing in Anchorage. She's a leo and a plant-person, and loves spending quality time with her dog, Aspen. She is a Real Housewives fan and has been called a Bravo historian.
