Silvana Agostoni is a Minneapolis-based photographer and multimedia artist with more than 20 years of practice in photography, digital imaging, graphic design, animation, and interactive media. She holds an MFA in photography from the School of Visual Arts in New York and has designed interactive museum experiences—touchscreens, augmented reality, video mapping—for audiences of all ages since 2006. She has taught photography and digital imaging in university courses and small-group classes, and most recently led all-ages cyanotype and collage workshops at Mia. She has received grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board, the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, and Springboard for the Arts. Silvana offers all of her programs in both English and Spanish.
Program Offerings
Teaching Artist Statement
We’re surrounded by images every day, but most of us were never taught how to read them or make our own with purpose. That’s what I teach through digital photography, graphic design, digital media, and cyanotype, a camera-free photo process that shows every image is made, not found.
Every class moves from looking to understanding to making. Before anyone picks up a camera or opens a design app, we talk about what’s in the frame, what’s left out, and why. Then it’s hands-on: I demonstrate, and everyone tries it with phones, tablets, editing apps, or light-sensitive paper.
I adapt by changing the entry point, not the depth. In the same classroom, a student who’s never held a camera and one who shoots every day can work side by side, and both leave with something they’re proud of.
I teach in English and Spanish, with roots in Mexico and Minnesota. Images carry cultural meaning, whether we notice it or not. I invite everyone to bring their own languages, cultures, and stories into their work, so what they make reflects how they see the world.
“My kids absolutely loved going to class this week. They were really interested in learning the techniques and the artwork they brought home is just beautiful. Thank you so much.”
Parent of a cyanotype student
“Thank you for helping my child find her creativity and create beautiful art! She loves your class!”
Parent of a photography student
