B SEEN B HEARD: GROUP ACTION PHOTOGRAPHY Photo Book Available
Ages 16-29
Fall 2018, Harambee Center, 1622 N. Carey Street, and on location
In this photography and public art workshop, student fellows will contribute to an international group action that posts large-scale portraits in public spaces. The international organization's website notes: "Inspired by JR’s large-format street 'pastings,' INSIDE OUT gives everyone the opportunity to share their portrait and make a statement for what they stand for. It is a global platform for people to share their untold stories and transform messages of personal identity into works of public art." (Sample group action pastings.) BYFA's theme will be B Seen B Heard, and will include a B Seen B Heard website featuring portraits of people of all ages with brief personal statements on any Baltimore subject that compels them. Fellows will work with instructors to gather portraits and statements, with field trips to different Baltimore neighborhoods to encourage participation across the city. The portraits will be exhibited at the BYFA fall screening on November 10 and at a Harambee Center exhibition on December 1, as well as on the B Seen B Heard website. Then in spring of 2019, a community event will be held to paste full size posters of the portraits on exterior walls at the Harambee Center. The posters will remain indefinitely as public art. Fellows will learn the basics of portrait photography, including camera operation, lighting, and composition; and participate in printing, mounting, and hanging the Harambee Center exhibition. Each fellow will keep a journal of their experience in the project and they'll be encouraged to take more free-form portraits between workshop meetings. These will be shared at the BYFA screening and on the program website, accompanied by artists' statements. Limited to 12 student fellows.
Chrissy Fitchett, a graduate of MICA, is a practicing photographer and Associate Director for Baltimore Youth Film Arts. Her work examines family structure, generational knowledge, and issues of political and social marginalization, such as forced migration and gender inequity.
Essence Smith is Executive Director at the Harambee Center. She has a passion for empowering today’s youth through education and leadership development. Essence believes you should be the change you want to see.
Ayomide Olusina is a Georgia native and an undergraduate at Johns Hopkins University. She is studying natural science and Spanish and does amateur filmmaking on the side.
Somer Greer is a poet and photographer who, since moving from Florida, is happy to call Baltimore home. He teaches writing at Johns Hopkins University and Loyola University, and pursues photography all over the Mid-Atlantic and beyond. He is thrilled to help make Baltimore stronger through art.
Zoraida Díaz, a Colombian-born photojournalist, covered some of the most impactful Latin American stories of the 80s and 90s for Reuters. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Newsweek, Libération, O Globo, The Guardian, Dagens Nyheter, Clarín, and elsewhere. She is currently pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing and Publishing Arts at the University of Baltimore.
