My Community My World
Curatorial Statement
Andee Rudloff, Curator
My Community My World is a group photography exhibition based in Etowah, Tennessee, of several young artists exploring their lives through the summer of 2016. Through photography they investigate the mundane to the magnificent. The resulting perspectives inform how we perceive ourselves in the world around us. Works in the exhibition range from buildings, people, events, and special moments spanning the ideological, magical, dynamic, exaggerated perspectives in the region. The images are not only true for the young artists but I believe the intention behind each photograph rings true for all no matter the location.
The show takes its name from a unique program through Humanities Tennessee encouraging Tennessee communities to tell their stories. My Community My World features over forty-eight photos depicting the artists' viewpoints of summer within the community. All of the images were taken using a Nikon Coolpix S3700 Silver digital camera and each young artist had access to professionals locally and throughout the state. The photos together form a narrative about people, place, and time. At a time when youth, especially teens, are bombarded with the world perceptions via the Internet through the simple touch of a phone, each of the images show a sacred look into what is important within the community to each of these young artists.
Many of the works look at identity through place. Without the laborious effort of film and developing, the artists were encouraged to take many pictures of the same subject, bring their series to the group for discussion, and share why one image was the best image in the series. Artists described how an image shaped or change their own assumptions and their thoughts of family and environment. Photography captures, suspends, even transcends a moment or series of events in time. Works in the show present us with imagery through the storyteller's eye including journeys into nature, cycles of exploration and destruction, personas, curiosity and moments of celebration, cultural heritage and even pop imagery. But what all of the artists attempt to show us is where we as a society are connected, where we are all alike, and where we might be heading.
The show takes its name from a unique program through Humanities Tennessee encouraging Tennessee communities to tell their stories. My Community My World features over forty-eight photos depicting the artists' viewpoints of summer within the community. All of the images were taken using a Nikon Coolpix S3700 Silver digital camera and each young artist had access to professionals locally and throughout the state. The photos together form a narrative about people, place, and time. At a time when youth, especially teens, are bombarded with the world perceptions via the Internet through the simple touch of a phone, each of the images show a sacred look into what is important within the community to each of these young artists.
Many of the works look at identity through place. Without the laborious effort of film and developing, the artists were encouraged to take many pictures of the same subject, bring their series to the group for discussion, and share why one image was the best image in the series. Artists described how an image shaped or change their own assumptions and their thoughts of family and environment. Photography captures, suspends, even transcends a moment or series of events in time. Works in the show present us with imagery through the storyteller's eye including journeys into nature, cycles of exploration and destruction, personas, curiosity and moments of celebration, cultural heritage and even pop imagery. But what all of the artists attempt to show us is where we as a society are connected, where we are all alike, and where we might be heading.
I was honored to serve as the curator of My Community My World. Special thanks to Etowah Arts Commission Director Pat Armstrong and Linda and Jim Caldwell. Congrats all!
0 comments:
Post a Comment