Images of hunger
Student exhibit spotlights need
Posted: December 7, 2012
Eye-opening. Shocking. Unexpected. If a picture is worth a thousand words, these are a few that came to mind for eight students of James Madison University’s “Photograph as Document” class, as they researched the issue of hunger in Harrisonburg.
Using documentary-style photographs to tell the story of underserved neighbors, they’ll present their findings in an exhibit at the Smith House’s Darrin-McHone Gallery from Dec. 7 to Jan. 25.
Their work isn’t limited by mats and frames; their professor, Corinne Diop, said that the class expressed a desire to continue their work beyond the art show.
They’ll collect non-perishable food from visitors at the exhibit and invite viewers to contribute to the online Virtual Food Drive, at brafb.org/Donate.
Community through art
Diop said she was inspired to focus on hunger locally by previous campus exhibitions about hunger nationwide.
The “place-based” education emphasis at JMU involves learning “using what’s right here around you, and also to make an impact and be helpful to the community,” she said.
The students took their cameras to several local food pantries and community centers, including the BRAFB, Our Community Place, Hope Distributed and JMU’s Gus Bus.
Diop collaborated with Ragan McManus, executive director at the Arts Council of the Valley, to bring the show downtown.
Helping the community through art is a natural fit, said McManus. “Artists, in general, typically have large ideas about their world and their society. They speak to that through the images they make.”
She said this show in particular raises important questions about who we give our time and money to, and why we give — especially during the holidays.
Outside the bubble
Most of the students were surprised at their findings throughout the project.
“I certainly wasn’t expecting this many people,” said senior Donovan Seow. “Just personally as a student, I’m not exposed to any of that … To see this in Harrisonburg was very eye-opening for me.”
Junior Sarah Smith, whose part in the project focused on the statistics of food insecurity, agrees. “It’s one of those things where we’re all stuck in our JMU bubble and don’t know. But once you find out, it’s a really big problem,” she said.
Although their assignment was to document the issue of hunger, they often found their lenses pointed at food.
“[The project] turned out [to be] about how we are trying to stop hunger in Harrisonburg,” said Diop. “I hope [viewers] realize there’s a massive effort of volunteers, places that are open every week, staffed by people who … just do it because they care about others.”
Connecting with these volunteers and families in need meant more than a grade, for these students.
“It meant a lot to them to tell the story for people who might not have gotten coverage otherwise,” said Diop, “that they didn’t know until they did the research.”
For more information on the show, contact the Arts Council of the Valley at (540) 801-8779.
Using documentary-style photographs to tell the story of underserved neighbors, they’ll present their findings in an exhibit at the Smith House’s Darrin-McHone Gallery from Dec. 7 to Jan. 25.
Their work isn’t limited by mats and frames; their professor, Corinne Diop, said that the class expressed a desire to continue their work beyond the art show.
They’ll collect non-perishable food from visitors at the exhibit and invite viewers to contribute to the online Virtual Food Drive, at brafb.org/Donate.
Community through art
Diop said she was inspired to focus on hunger locally by previous campus exhibitions about hunger nationwide.
The “place-based” education emphasis at JMU involves learning “using what’s right here around you, and also to make an impact and be helpful to the community,” she said.
The students took their cameras to several local food pantries and community centers, including the BRAFB, Our Community Place, Hope Distributed and JMU’s Gus Bus.
Diop collaborated with Ragan McManus, executive director at the Arts Council of the Valley, to bring the show downtown.
Helping the community through art is a natural fit, said McManus. “Artists, in general, typically have large ideas about their world and their society. They speak to that through the images they make.”
She said this show in particular raises important questions about who we give our time and money to, and why we give — especially during the holidays.
Outside the bubble
Most of the students were surprised at their findings throughout the project.
“I certainly wasn’t expecting this many people,” said senior Donovan Seow. “Just personally as a student, I’m not exposed to any of that … To see this in Harrisonburg was very eye-opening for me.”
Junior Sarah Smith, whose part in the project focused on the statistics of food insecurity, agrees. “It’s one of those things where we’re all stuck in our JMU bubble and don’t know. But once you find out, it’s a really big problem,” she said.
Although their assignment was to document the issue of hunger, they often found their lenses pointed at food.
“[The project] turned out [to be] about how we are trying to stop hunger in Harrisonburg,” said Diop. “I hope [viewers] realize there’s a massive effort of volunteers, places that are open every week, staffed by people who … just do it because they care about others.”
Connecting with these volunteers and families in need meant more than a grade, for these students.
“It meant a lot to them to tell the story for people who might not have gotten coverage otherwise,” said Diop, “that they didn’t know until they did the research.”
For more information on the show, contact the Arts Council of the Valley at (540) 801-8779.