By Ebru Akin
Raider Shakedown Reporter
NASHVILLE,
Tenn. -- The Nashville public was recently invited to participate in the
"Cameras & Community in Action" exhibition at The Frist Center
for the Visual Arts, which will be on display until the middle of January.
On April
8, 2012, the anniversary of The Frist Center's opening, 1,000 disposable
cameras were distributed to people around the Nashville community. The cameras
were available to general visitors of the museum, as well as to community
partners throughout the city, some of the public programs, and to employees of
the Hospital Corporation of America. The exhibition includes a selection of 500
photographs which, collaboratively, capture a grand essence of the city of
Nashville. Those who received a disposable camera were asked to photograph
particular aspects of the community that they noticed, were moved by, or would
like to see changed.
“Participants had to sign releases for us to use their images in the
exhibition and for publicity," said Frist Director of Education and
Outreach Anne Henderson. “They had to also secure permission from anyone they
photographed or any property that was photographed.”
The
education staff had the idea for the "Cameras & Community in
Action" project. It was inspired by artist Carrie Mae Weems and was
organized in conjunction with her exhibition at the Frist Center: "Carrie
Mae Weems: Three Decades of Photography and Video." Weems, a socially
motivated artist, touches on issues surrounding race, gender and class through
her work.
"Carrie
Mae Weems started a project in her hometown of Rochester, N.Y., using messages
to the community to end the violence in their town," said Henderson."
She used yard signs, billboards, match books, etc. to reach the community and
get people to stop and think about what was happening in their community. The Frist Center has an exhibition of
her work in our Ingram Galleries. This project was a way of involving our
community in some of the same ideas of her work about getting people to look at
their community and really notice it."
The
photographs in the exhibition, beautifully dispersed throughout the Education
Corridor on the Upper-Level of the Frist Center, showcase some of the problems
that the public feels have become consistent within the community. Many of the
photographs address issues such as homelessness and poverty and environmental
issues such as littering. Other
aspects of the exhibition, however, are a reminder to the community of the
beauty that lies within Nashville. There are many pictures of landscapes,
sunsets, and inspirational messages hidden in the depths of the city. There
were also pictures taken of different places that have become a pleasant memory
to many of those who have grown up here in Nashville over the years.
The
HCA Foundation, on behalf of HCA, and the TriStar Family of Hospitals, is
the Platinum Sponsor for the Ingram Gallery and
Presenting Sponsor for "Cameras and Community in Action" and The
Nissan Foundation is Supporting
Sponsor. The exhibition has been on display since late September and
will continue to be showcased until Jan. 13, 2013.
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