Summer clouds roll by in this photo by Kaylee Huddleston.The Etowah Historical Commission is resurrecting a photography exhibit that documented a "summer in the life" of 16 middle-school students from Etowah, Tenn.
Titled "Encore: My Community - My World," the exhibit showcases photographs that were excerpted from a larger exhibition that the Etowah Arts Commission developed in 2016. They are on view in the upstairs gallery at Etowah's L&N Depot Museum.
Student participants
› Rachel Arms› Shaniya Armstrong› Precious Brown› Nathan Crisp› Anna Davis› Kaylee Huddleston› Caroline Ingram› Jordan Locke› A’szu’ Martin› Hunter Martin› Jacob Martin› Pearl Mays› McKenzie McCowan› Hannah Newman› Keyshawn Tatum› Macie WestAdult photography coaches› Sandy Brewer› Jim Caldwell› Linda Caldwell› Gwen Lane› Henry Webb
"While the Etowah Historical Commission would have liked to present all the photographs that were part of the original exhibit, space constraints in the Depot gallery made it impossible," says Sandy Brewer, a member of the Etowah Historical Commission. "Fortunately, we are able to include photographs from each student and present an encore exhibit that allows more people to view the extraordinary work the students produced."
The Etowah Arts Commission provided a free point-and-shoot camera to each student, along with training and mentoring. The young photographers were tasked with documenting the summer of 2016, through their eyes and experiences, in their individual neighborhoods. They met biweekly throughout the summer to share their photographs with each other and receive guidance from volunteer adult photography coaches.
"The summer-long documentary project was actually the culmination of a two-year project titled "Through the Lens: Engaging Community Through Photography,'" says Pat Armstrong, Etowah Arts Commission director. "Through that project, EAC sponsored photography classes for local adult photographers in the first year, while the second year focused on children and the art of documentary photography."
The original exhibit ran from Oct. 1, 2016, through Jan. 6, 2017, in the Nancy Cantrell Dender Gallery in Etowah. Andee Rudloff, an educator and professional artist, served as the humanities consultant for the project and curated the exhibit and catalog.
Armstrong says she's pleased that the photos get a second showing and that the Etowah Historical Commission "is shining a light on the important work our young photographers produced through the project."
The latest iteration will remain open through the summer. L&N Depot is at 727 S. Tennessee Ave. Hours are 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Admission is free. Call 423-263-7840 for more information.
Nathan Crisp's photo shows a baptism on the Hiwassee River.