For the last year and a half, I have worked in collaboration with Jubilee Arts to make portraits of Baltimore City youth engaged in their programming. Jubilee Arts is a non-profit that provides arts classes and other services to the residents of the Sandtown-Winchester, Upton, and surrounding neighborhoods that were at the epicenter of the recent unrest.
The portraits come out of conversations, sometimes quickly and sometimes slowly, sometimes planned and sometimes spontaneous. In addition to the environmental portraits, I also set up "pop-up photobooths" at the end-of-term performances and youth-organized events.
As I photograph, the images downloaded from my high-resolution camera to my linked phone, which is shared with the subjects as we discuss the nature of the representation. The youth frequently transmit the photographs to their own devices and social platforms. This body of work is a part of an ongoing long-term engagement with the neighborhoods and communities that make up my city.
Creation of these photographs is made possible, in part, by a Rubys Artist Grant from the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance. Many thanks to Nora Howell and Kim Loper for their support.
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Devonn by Jubilee Arts, Baltimore, Maryland, 2015
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Isaiah outside of Jubilee Arts, Baltimore, Maryland, 2015
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Shay at the Memorial Garden, Baltimore, Maryland, 2015
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Tatyanna by the Jones Falls Trail, Baltimore, Maryland, 2016
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Mya on her 16th Birthday, Baltimore, Maryland, 2016
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Dasia by Jubilee Arts, Baltimore, Maryland, 2016
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Davon by Jubilee Arts, Baltimore, Maryland, 2016
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Samirah at Akia's Prom Party, Baltimore, Maryland, 2016
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Akia Before His Junior Prom, Baltimore, Maryland, 2016
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Autumn and Tatyanna by the Jones Falls River, Baltimore, Maryland, 2016