Set Name: 

imperial county (CA) board of ed

Description: 

el centro is a dusty, flat, agricultural community on the mexican border in central california. it is quite poor and remote, a long drive along a rocky mountain highway and a world away from the lush green beauty of southern california. because of its proximity to mexico, there is a large immigrant population, with all of the expected social complexity that comes along with that. the imperial county board of education established a progressive intervention program for at-risk youth which, rather than marginalizing them, placed them in a supervised but highly stimulating educational environment meant to encourage them back into the mainstream, rather than punish them. these photos document the county`s two alternative education campuses: one in el centro and the other about 30 minutes away in brawley.

Client: 

Steven O'Leary, AIA (San Diego, CA)

Location: 

el centro, california

Date: 

january 2006

Project Type: 

institutional

about the photographer
Michael K. Wilkinson has been photographing the buildings and neighborhoods of Washington DC for almost fifteen years. In 2001, he established a consulting practice providing marketing support services to architectural design firms and real estate developers, with a concentration in photographing and writing about modern architecture. Beginning in 2004, he began to take commissions outside the Washington area, and has built a small client base in southern California. His travels have taken him across three continents, 19 countries, and 43 U.S. states. His work has been published in Atomic Ranch, the Washington Post, Washington Spaces, DC Style, the Washington Business Journal, Custom Home, the InTowner, the Georgetowner, the Voice of the Hill, Modern San Diego, and in countless newsletters and websites. He has credits on a couple CD covers, too, and has participated in 35 solo or group exhibits in Washington DC, Virginia, Connecticut, and Austria. Michael has lived and worked in Washington DC since 1993. Prior to that, he lived in Brooklyn Heights, Boston, Paris and Connecticut. He has a degree in International Relations from Tufts University. His photography is entirely self-taught.