KATHARINE GIN is an artist, educator, and activist based in San Francisco. She co-founded and is currently Executive Director of Educators for Fair Consideration (E4FC), a non-profit whose mission is to help immigrant students realize the American dream of college and citizenship.

Her artistic work with youth has been published widely in local and national publications, including a full-page article in The New York Times and a seven-page spread in Bedford/St. Martin's award-winning textbook, Seeing & Writing 3.

Her documentary film, DON'T STOP ME NOW, features four undocumented immigrant youth who dream of going to college in the United States. Widely embraced by students, educators, and immigration activists, the film is being screened at film festivals, schools, galleries, and community organizations throughout the country.

Katharine was the lead artist for THIS PLACE CALLED POETRY, a year-long multimedia art project that features 11 talented youth poets. In collaboration with musician and composer Kjell Nordeson, Katharine created 11 short films and numerous audio portraits about the youth poets, which she installed at the San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery (November 2008-January 2009). San Francisco WritersCorps commissioned Katharine to lead this project in celebration of its 15th Anniversary.

After receiving her BA in Architecture from Yale University, Katharine started Hot Shots, a photography and media literacy program that served hundreds of low-income children in Connecticut housing projects. She has since developed innovative arts and writing programs for at-risk youth in public schools, after-school and summer enrichment programs, detention centers, residential facilities, and community centers. She holds a MFA from the Creative Writing Program at the University of Oregon, where she taught advanced undergraduate courses in creative writing.

Katharine is also an advisor to the Nelson Fund at the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, where she manages the fund's philanthropic investments in arts and education, and a board member of Performing Arts Workshop.

Splash image (to the left): Part of Katharine's photo-text series "Is it good, friend?"