Not currently taking bookings (on sabbatical June 2025 – June 2026).
Nicknamed Media Mike, Mike Hazard teaches people of all ages how to make videos and photos. A poet, photographer and video artist, he writes, films, produces and directs videos and still photography.
Art is about seeing things, and the camera is a great way to see the world. Nine of his films have enjoyed national releases on public media. His documentary on the late Eugene McCarthy was awarded the D. L. Mabery prize, Minnesota’s Oscar.
Learn about Mike’s recent photography residency with Cassia’s Elim Oasis Adult Day Center in Princeton, Minnesota by reading our blog post.
A Bush Artist Fellow, his art is collected and shown in museums all over the world, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York. To learn more, visit Mike’s website.
Program Offerings
Residencies
Photo/Poetry/Media Arts
Using still cameras and computers, we photograph and write to the pictures. Themes might be places or people. The residency then becomes a way to explore and celebrate the community
We study the special language of the camera arts and visual literacy as well as explore the creative possibilities of the technology. The writing part can be focused on poetry or broadened to include brief stories. The goal is to create expressive combinations of images and words in ways that illumine each art form.
Every residency is adapted to your school’s students and teachers, curriculum and equipment inventory. We always share our work, through many forms of community expression from social networking sites to school exhibitions and websites.
The Art of Making Photographs
We learn how to use cameras creatively and safely, how to look at pictures, what makes strong compositions, how to collaborate with subjects to make good pictures, and more. A residency can use all kinds of cameras—dsl, point and shoot, iPads, tablets, cell phones, and more. In addition, COMPAS can provide cameras for technical support when needed. Where appropriate, we share the work with social media. One special part of this residency is creating mail art. Participants of any age create postcards or letters with their own photographs and write personal messages to friends, family or famous people, and mail.
“I would book Mike again and also suggest him to a colleague. He was insightful and wise. He brought a new point of view to our students that challenged them to think differently. Mike also got students to try new things.”
Ms. Thompson, Tri-County School
“When I heard that our school was hosting Media Mike as our artist in residence, I was unsure of what to expect. Much to my surprise, our focus on masks transcended the media arts portion of our time together. My students independently dove into his teaching with life jackets off! They were eager to run cameras, perform and discuss their learning on and off camera. Our time together was a highlight of our year!”
Rachel Fletcher Biggs, 5th grade teacher
