Bright makes a point during lecture at Diggs Gallery.
“Young Americans,” a dynamic new series of photographs by photographer Sheila Pree Bright that explores the identities of young people and their relationship to the United States, is on display at Diggs Gallery.
These pictorial statements on America feature participants aged 18 to 25 posing with an American flag. It will run through March 6.
“We are extremely excited to have this wonderful traveling exhibit that captures these young people speaking for themselves through Sheila’s photography,” says Belinda Tate, director of Diggs Gallery. “When the exhibit opened at the High Museum in Atlanta, it was immediately deemed as bringing a contemporary perspective as well as an insightful look at the attitudes and beliefs of young people.
“What makes it even more exciting is that we had Winston-Salem State students participate in the project,” Tate added. “Of 15 students who were originally photographed from WSSU, nine are still on campus and will participate in the opening reception.”
In addition to the actual exhibit, five of the WSSU participants are featured in the exhibit catalog, including current students Joshua Phifer and Kolin Robinson, both art majors, and Corderius Cowans, a mass communications major.
“When I came up with the idea for my photograph, I began to ponder life as an American through the eyes of being a young black male,” says Joshua Phifer. “I am always going to be judged first for who I am on the outside, no matter what I achieve. So I took that idea into consideration.”
“Sheila Pree Bright’s ‘Young Americans’ exhibit was a great opportunity for the youth of our nation to freely express ourselves without hesitation,” says Corderius Cowans. “My intentions with my
Corderius Cowans shows visitor his contribution to the exhibition.
photograph were to suggest that ‘America’ is a burden that hinders me from freely expressing or expanding my actions and thoughts. However, it was brought to my attention that someone could easily assume that I am embracing the thought of our country. So one can say that Bright’s intentions were objective, because it attracts various intellectual thoughts.”
Pree Bright began working on the “Young Americans” series in the fall of 2006. She invited her photo subjects to choose their own clothing, poses and interactions with the American flag. The result is a mix of emotions that these young people were able to express, including WSSU alumnus Phillip Osborne III, who says that America brings to mind “struggle” and “opportunity,” meaning that you have “see and achieve opportunities.”
Click here to see and hear more from Sheila Pree Bright.
Pree Bright, who is based in Atlanta, has exhibited her photography widely in nationally acclaimed venues and has served as artist-in-residence at several locations. She received national attention after winning the Santa Fe Prize from the Santa Fe Center for Photography in 2006 for her work entitled “The Suburbia Series,” which focuses on home environments of African Americans residing in the suburbs.
