2017 Exhibition
12. Facing Change: Documenting DETROIT
LOCATION: The Wright Museum of African American History
Facing Change: Documenting DETROIT’s mission is to create a documentary record of Detroit by Detroit-area photographers, engaging local and global communities, through a Fellowship for Early-Career and Emerging Photographers, free community discussions hosting accomplished documentary photographers, and larger-than-life public art installations. Fellows must apply and be selected by a jury to participate, and are paired with professional editors, photographers, and curators from all over the world as mentors. Together their Fellows and Mentors build stories that are uniquely Detroit, where traditional journalism is missing. They then engage the public with these stories by bringing the work to public spaces throughout the community to connect, reflect, and be inspired by all they have accomplished within our city.
Join Documenting DETROIT for their 2016 and 2017 Fellows Photo Story Premiere at on the Farnsworth Street lawn of The Wright Museum to enjoy 35 short stories by local emerging photographers, showcasing stories of life in our city. These photographers were chosen from more than 150 applicants to participate in the annual Facing Change: Documenting DETROIT Fellowship for Emerging and Early Career Photographers. Their presentation will run for about two hours, and they encourage guests to bring a blanket or lawn chair and view this presentation picnic-style with us. The presentation is comprised of still photography and audio.
Date/Time for the presentation: 9/22 and 9/23, 8:30pm – 11pm
2016 Documenting DETROIT Fellows include:
Gabriela Baginski, MarQuez Bell, Julian Bibb, Zac Clark, Amethyst Davis, Alexandre da Veiga, Brian Day, Jon DeBoer, Cydni Elledge, Danya Ensing, Razi Jafri, Steve Koss, Ali Lapetina, Jarod Lew, Justin Milhouse, Amy Sacka, Felicia Tolbert, Anahli Vazquez, Sean Work and Rosa Maria Zamarron.
2016 Documenting DETROIT Mentors include:
Nina Berman – Noor Images, Kate Bubacz – Buzzfeed News, Alan Chin – Columbia University, Carlos Diaz – College for Creative Studies, Roy Feldman – PBS Detroit, Salwan Georges – Washington Post, Courtney Hurtt – Framed by WDET, Glenna Gordon – The New School, Krisanne Johnson – W. Eugene Smith Award, Brenda Ann Kennealy – A Little Creative Class, Kathy Kieliszewski – Detroit Free Press, Patricia Lay-Dorsey – Artist, Activist, Zun Lee – Documentarian, Joanna Lehan – International Center of Photography, Andrew Lichtenstein – FCDA, Brian Palmer – Columbia University, Eugene Richards – Guggenheim Fellow, Nina Robinson – Documentarian, Bronx Photo League, Sandra Stevenson – The New York Times, Maggie Steber – FCDA, James B. Wellford – National Geographic and Clarence Williams – Pulitzer Prize Winner.
2017 Documenting DETROIT Fellows include:
Alexa Borromeo, Anthony Lanzilote, Corey Turner, Damon Adams, Erik Howard, Jeff Pearson, Jeremy Brockman, Junfu Han, LaToya Colts, Mishira Davis, Marisol Dorantes-Silva, Sal Rodriguez, Samantha Otto and Viviana Pernot.
2017 Documenting DETROIT Mentors include:
Samantha Appleton, Nancy Watson Barr, Carlos Diaz, Kholood Eid, Brenda Ann Kenneally, Kathy Kieliszewski, Alexis Lambrou, Patricia Lay-Dorsey, Joanna Lehan, Andrea Mellen Birnbaum, Brian Palmer and William Valicenti.
Facing Change: Documenting DETROIT is sponsored by:
Artist Information
Facing Change: Documenting DETROIT
Facing Change: Documenting DETROIT was born on a road trip from New York to Detroit in the frigid winter of 2015-- as they rode across the countryside, founders Alan Chin and Karah Shaffer recognized that Detroit was lacking a community focused on documenting its own stories, concerns, and culture. Since beginning with an event at Red Bull House of Art in late 2015, they have built a discussion around the issues our city wishes to change, highlight, and celebrate. To date, Facing Change: Documenting DETROIT has worked with 37 emerging and early career Detroit photographers. Some are self-taught, some are formally trained, and all are from diverse backgrounds. They include immigrants, veterans, recent transplants from other cities, and some have roots that go back in Detroit many generations. Their careers include journalism, photography, small business, and in education, healthcare, and community service. Their perspectives and histories come together to recast Detroit's narrative, telling true stories of Detroit’s people and culture at home and afar. We have presented work as larger than life banner installations on the sides of buildings and in large windows, projected over 100 feet wide onto the exterior wall of the Detroit Institute of Art, and at regular monthly events featuring panel discussions and presentations with renowned photographers based both in Detroit and across the globe.