As we hit our 20-year mark and prepare to close our doors, Upstream Arts is reflecting on the last two decades of incredible work. Today’s highlight: The Art of Me photography exhibits and Upstream Arts’ Refocus photo exhibit.
So many of our residencies center on the possibilities that come alive as we use art as an expressive tool. Each medium, from dance and movement to music and rhythm, to poetry and theater, offers a different way to connect, to build community, and to tell our stories. Portrait photography offers a unique window into the soul, and so in 2010, we worked with New-York-based photographer Dirk Anchütz and participants at Highland Friendship Club to create our first portrait photography exhibit.
As selfie culture trended, we embraced the opportunity for our community to share their own proclamations of “I am. here This is who I am.” The format manifested as a diptych: two side by side images of the same person, one taken by the person in the portrait with a remote clicker, and one directed by a peer. As Artistic Director Matt Guidry reflected, “Our perception of ourselves is always at least two-fold, how we see ourselves and how others see us. Sometimes they match up, and many times – especially for our disability community – they don’t.” The photography exhibits were a way to be seen – by a different audience, in a different way- and to have a chance to make choices about how we are perceived.
From there, our Art of Me photography exhibits grew – often paired with the Art of Me performance residencies where Participants and Teaching Artists used multiple disciplines to explore what makes us who we are. We worked with Minneapolis-based photographer Jeff Cords to collaborate with individuals of all ages, in schools, Adult Day programs, and community programs including churches and Jewish Community Centers. We returned to Highland Friendship Club for another exhibit, and we ventured further afield, bringing the Art of Me to collaborate with participants in Milwaukee and North Carolina. Guided by shared prompts and creative ideas, these collaborations resulted in a vibrant collection that celebrates the unique perspectives and talents of individuals with disabilities.
iIn 2020, when the global pandemic pushed us to isolate, we celebrated our 15th anniversary by diving deep into these incredible collections of portraits and sharing them online in our ReFocus photography exhibit. We asked four curators – Dirk Anchütz, Cándida González, Tommy Sar, and Aki Shibata – to select images from the extensive archives, drawing varied examples from the last decade of photography exhibits. The thirteen selections were paired with interviews, home videos, poetry, and music from the residencies in which the individuals took part. In a time of increased invisibility and separation, it was a beautiful way to stay connected and be seen.
You can watch the 5-minute trailer below and revisit our full 2020 ReFocus exhibit here.
You can also read our original reflections around the exhibit here.
Photo credits: Top: Dirk Anchütz. All others: Jeff Cords.