The Kneeling Art Photography Project (thekneelingartphotography.com), under the direction of Portland artist Titi de Baccarat, opens their final Portland exhibit at the UMVA Gallery inside the Portland Media Center (PMC), 516 Congress St. This community social justice/art project explores the meaning and evolution of the Take-A-Knee gesture by having Maine photographers turn their cameras on diverse Mainers who are fighting for social justice in the state. There are eleven photographers taking part in the exhibit from seasoned professionals to people new to the craft.
Gallery hours are from 3 to 6 pm on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays until August 27th. A special panel discussion, "The role of Art in the resolution of social conflicts", will be taped at the PMC studio and will be broadcast beginning the week of August 21st on Channel 5 and continuing for four weeks. Donations are still being requested to fund the project and can be made at https://www.thekneelingartphotography.com/donate.
Photographers who are a part of the project are Titi de Baccarat, David Wade, Tim Greenway, Ann Tracy, Rose Barboza, John Ochira, Amy Bellezza, Kelli LK Haines, Ẹniọlà Adeoye-Lawal, John Ripton and Aymar Mpouki. Ronald Reid, LCSW MSW, a humanistic therapist, will lead the discussion panel. Panel members include Asherah Cinnamon, Natasha Mayers, Tori Lyn, Sarah Gormady, and Desiree Nicole Lester. Longer biographies of all participants can be found at https://www.thekneelingartphotography.com/biographies-1.
Lyn is currently work at a local government agency focusing on racial and social equity and economic development. She is active engaging and connecting with under-resourced community members, including Black, Indigenous and People of Color. Lester, after moving away from Maine for 14 years, understands that Maine’s roots are Black and she belongs here. Lester is a Change Maker, Wellness Coach, Artist Advocate and Master Community Builder.
Inspired by the social justice movements of the last 60 years, Cinnamon uses Jewish ritual and imagery as a basis for contemporary art, bringing attention to traditional ethical concepts, while building community with diverse groups through collaboration and public engagement. Three grandparents were murdered in Nazi Concentration camps and both her parents were survivors of the Japanese military’s Jewish Ghetto in Shanghai during WW II.
Gormady most recently has been the Operations Director for NextGen America turning out youth voters. She is a solo aerial and circus arts performer and has danced with the Dark Follies. She has worked on the intersection of body and politic since her undergraduate independent research in Russia with Memorial Society, and has continued her studies and work through today with academic research and performance. Mayers co-founded and is editor-in-chief of The Maine Arts Journal: Union of Maine Visual Artists Quarterly. Exhibiting work since 1976, she often explores themes of peace and social justice. She has been called “the heart and soul of activist art in Maine.” She is widely known for her work supervising more than 600 school and community murals from Maine to Nicaragua.
The exhibition then travels to the Innovative Media Research and Commercialization (IMRC) Center at the University of Maine, Orono from September 3 to 29. A panel discussion with several photographers is scheduled for September 7th at 7 pm. The panel will be moderated by Dr. Susan L Smith.
The project
will soon be participating in a Go Fund Me program to raise funds to publish a
book ("Taking a Knee for Change") about this historic project. Thanks go to our supporters and sponsors: Black
Owned Maine, Pickwick Independent Press, Creative Portland ME,
Portland Media Center, LumenARRT!, Little Chair Printing, The Francis Hotel, University of Maine Intermedia MFA,
UMVA - The Maine Union of Visual Artists and Golden State Art. For
more information, contact de Baccarat at (207) 602-9205.
Comments
Post a Comment