January 6, 2014 was one of the coldest days of the year in
Atlanta Georgia. As my wife and I woke up we turned on the news and schools all
over the region were announcing they were either closing or starting late. For the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)
there was no such message about closing.
We artist do our work come rain, sleet, snow or hail! Well, I was excited. To start a new year, on a cold day for my
second quarter at SCAD had me excited. I was looking forward to the growth this
quarter would bring. I was like a kid on
the first day of school.
 |
| Forest McMullin |
This quarter started off with a bang. Our professor, Forest McMullin, emailed us
over the break and he assigned reading for us to have done at the start of
class and he told us to buckle up! Well,
day one of class was quite a ride. The
best professors are those who love what they do. Their passion for the subject matter and
their students can be felt throughout the classroom. Forest is like a living light. I am looking forward to studying with him.
The book for the class is Photography Changes Everything
edited by Marvin Heiferman and the book is centered around six broad categories
as it relates to the power and impact of photography:
1.
Photography changes what we want
2.
Photography changes what we see
3.
Photography changes who we are
4.
Photography changes what we do
5.
Photography changes where we go
6.
Photography changes what we remember
There is a power in the still image and it influences us in so
many ways. I choose to focus my study in
photography because I firmly believe that good images can change the
world. In the foreword of Photography
Changes Everything Merry A. Foresta wrote, “…photographs give us a reason
to tell stories. Sometimes the stories
are about the subject of the photograph, sometimes about the photographer, or
what was going on when the photograph was taken. Sometimes the photograph reminds one of
another photograph and another moment” In essence she is suggesting that photographs
shape how we think, see and act.
Photographs are synergistic tools for storytelling, memory making and
change. A photograph, as the book
claims, changes everything. Photographs
change what we want, what we seek, who we are, what we do, what we remember and
the stories we tell. Just try it, pull
out some old pictures, start viewing them with your family, telling stories and
see what those images do. Tell me how
powerful those images are as instruments of story.
I am in school to become a storyteller. I am a storyteller who believes that some of
the best stories are told with pictures.
For me the combination of pictures and words are the keys to unlocking
the door for social change. We must show
the world what we are writing about. As
I enter this term I am reminded of those who I have looked up as classic
photographers / storytellers. Those who
told stories with their pictures that when embedded in words, in a climate of
change their images made our word different.
Their images changed our image and we were able to imagine a different
world. I am thinking of photographers
like:
and so many more…
As I continue to become a photographer / artist / writer / storyteller
I am so thankful for SCAD and the way in which they are molding us and making
us as we seek to find our voice. I am
looking forward to creating, and yes I mean creating not making images; Photographers are creators and co-creators with the Divine. We create not make. it is my
prayer that through the lens the world I see will help others to see how we can
re-create our world to be a place of justice and equality. Let the quarter begin. Happy New Year @ SCAD!
Ralph - I'm really looking forward to your project about the history of Edgewood. Even though I live in this area, there are still many things I don't know about it. I also checked out Dan Budnik's images. Very powerful work. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteIm very excited for this new year !!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteAgreed! Despite "the struggle" I can certainly see the growth in my work and I'm confident that this experience will give us the time to develop into the visionaries we aspire to be.
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