Closing the Show

I’ve had a sort of “show” for the past two months at The Black Gallery, an art gallery dedicated to Black community, operated by Don’t Shoot Portland. The gallery and this show are about saving the history of movements for justice: about archives, photographs of protests and demonstrations, and art by Black artists. I was one of two photographers asked to provide fifteen digital photos (in color or black and white). The organization desaturated the color photos (without informing the photographers) and then printed them and posted them along with archival documents. I was a little disappointed because I could have provided much richer black and white photos than the desaturated ones, but the point was not the photos so much as the idea of saving photos; it was not so much an art show as a tribute to archives. The other photographer, a person called Bear Perry (they/them pronouns, 2nd Extra), didn't want to be limited to  fifteen photos and instead provided 100 photos, all taken at a single protest, all printed, desaturated, and included in the exhibit.

The show has been on exhibit for two months, and late this afternoon there was a closing reception with an “artist talk” by three of us: Bear Perry, an activist named Glenn Waco (first extra), and me. I've known Glenn since he was a teenager, and it was a joy to see him taking space and talking about his justice story. Bear Perry has only recently started making photographs and is in their 20s, so it was interesting to hear their perspective as a young photographer. I am learning how to be in public with a migraine. It’s not my favorite thing to do; I'd rather not have a migraine, but I’m getting by.

My gratitude for the warm reception you left for the shadows of Margie and me yesterday. Blip community is loving community, and I'm glad I'm still here after fourteen years. I've never posted every day, so my total number of blips is way less than you'd think from a person who has been here for fourteen years. You are the reasons why I've stuck it out, and I miss our discussions, but I can't see how to keep them up with this new situation in my head.