Posted on by Jen Hoyer

City Tech students have been contributing to Wikimedia Commons!

This fall, students in Professor Robin Michals’ Photography I class have been contributing images to Wikimedia Commons with support from CUNY’s Wikimedia in Residence, Richard Knipel. We are so excited to see their work online!

All their photo uploads can be explored on the Contributions from Communication Design students, CUNY City Tech  category page. In addition to being available on the Commons under Creative Commons licenses, it’s exciting to see these already being incorporated into wikidata items and wikipedia articles in various languages.

three rows of thumbnail images for photographs uploaded to Wikimedia Commons by city tech students, depicting outdoor scenes around New York City.
A screenshot of the Wikimedia Commons page for “Contributions from Communication Design students, CUNY City Tech”

I visited one of their classes to chat with them about the impact of their contributions to Wikimedia Commons and to hear their thoughts on the images they added. Check out some student reflections on their images below:

On the steps in front of the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument
Kylan04, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Of Fort Greene Park in Autumn, Kylan Whittaker explained, “My mom used to take me there a lot when I was a kid, so I made a lot of good memories in that park.”

This is a park in the Bronx that is one of the largest Parks in the bronx
Photonatomist 00, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Wikipedia user Photonatomist explained that Crotona Park Pond is “vast” and feels like “a calm place to be.”

Front of the I.S.125 Thomas J.McCann Intermediate school in 47th ave, Woodside, Queens.
Gsnur3, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Nurcan Akca says of I.S.125 Thomas J. McCann Intermediate School: It was my middle school!

Canarsie Skatepark is a lively Brooklyn spot where skaters of all levels hit smooth concrete bowls, rails, and ramps with waterfront views and pure city energy.
JAMMIN8905!, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Rodrigue says of Canarsie Skate Park: “That place is special because it’s close to home and it’s a large place where friends and family can come together to have fun. “

When I asked students what it means to them that their work is now on Wikimedia Commons, they had a few more thoughts to share:

To me it feels nice that I can share a part of my life to others and basically create an invitation to others to have similar experiences as me.

It makes me proud knowing that my work is being used in Wikipedia commons. It scales out my work and makes me really grasp how impactful my photography can be.

I’m famous!