Photo by Julian Young
By Victoria Durgin, Co-editor-in-Chief
Visitors to the Lore Degenstein Gallery in the next two months will have a new exhibit to see and reflect on.
“Sons, Seeing the Modern African-American Male” opened on Saturday, January 25.
The exhibit features the photography of Jerry Taliaferro. The nationally-renowned artist said he enjoys bringing his work to Susquehanna.
“I love the campus, I love the people here,” Taliaferro said.
The exhibit features the portraits of African-American men from Susquehanna and the surrounding region.
According to Taliaferro and the curators, the exhibit is designed to reflect how these men view themselves in contrast to how they are perceived by others on a daily basis.
Two portraits of each man hang next to each other in the gallery, coupled with a short biography on the subject. The biography also includes a QR code that can be opened with any smartphone to display a short video on the subject.
The gallery was co-curated by Olivetti and teacher-in-residence Harvey Edwards. They also both credit senior Angelique Poragratti as an “unofficial” third co-curator.
“I guess I’ll take a little credit for that,” Poragratti said. She coordinated scheduling while Taliaferro was on campus and, along with Edwards and Olivetti, chose which photographs to feature in the exhibit.
One of the many men featured in the exhibit is senior Jahmir Wilson.
“I thought the idea was brilliant from the start,” Wilson said about the gallery.
To Wilson, the gallery is a “unique artistic expression” that fosters open dialogue about perceptions and how people often describe African-American men with one broad stroke.
Wilson also said he was grateful to be included in the exhibit with the other men chosen.
Edwards spoke about his excitement for the gallery at the opening reception.
“This speaks volumes to how we see individuals and how we see people,” Edwards said.
He also said he was encouraged by the conversations he overheard as he walked through the opening reception Saturday night. He hopes the gallery will encourage discussion and reflection on the themes presented by the portraits.
Taliaferro has brought the exhibit to different galleries and locations across the country, but said he was especially impressed with how the Lore gallery staged the show.
“This is the best installation of this particular project we’ve had,” Taliaferro said in his remarks at the opening.
Olivetti, Edwards and Poragratti each credit the other curators and Taliaferro with the success of the project.
“Without Harvey’s insight, organization and process you would be looking at a different show right now,” Olivetti said.
Edwards praised Poragratti’s vision in both choosing the photographs and assembling the gallery. Poragratti, in turn, said she was grateful to Edwards and Olivetti for their leadership and ideas.
Taliaferro spoke to how an exhibit comes together and his individual part in the process.
“This exhibit is not just me, it’s a lot of people,” Taliaferro said.
“Sons, Seeing the Modern African-American Male” is open in the Lore Degenstein Gallery until March 9.