The Galleries
at CCBC
About the Exhibition
Online Only
“Images of Perseverance” was inspired by two things: the televised address by the United Kingdom’s Queen Elizabeth II and a Facebook comment; “Wasn’t it amazing to see a thoughtful, carefully worded speech?”
It was amazing. It was uplifting. It was comforting. And it was realistic.
It was exactly what needed to be said, and even though it came from the leader of another country, it is applicable for us in America.
Things are difficult and they are going to continue to be difficult. What it will take is time and perseverance to overcome. COVID-19 and the restrictions in place to contain it are having a major impact on our lives and livelihoods. Many are saying society may never be the same. It may not. We won’t know until we get on the other side of this outbreak.
We’re from a culture that does things. We handle situations by taking action. It is ingrained in the American spirit. The hardest thing for us to do is to wait, to keep still, so that others can do their jobs to help those in need.
I have been lucky. Most of my immediate family is able to telework. I have extended family, friends, and neighbors who are essential workers, who go out there every day. I worry about each of them, hope that they are well, and stay safe.
I try to take solace in that I am doing my part. Keeping at least 6 feet away from anyone outside my household. Staying home except for essential needs. Wearing PPE when I do have to leave the house or neighborhood for those essential trips.
The photographers in this exhibition have been documenting what they are doing and seeing as they do the same- go about their daily lives and take precautions to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Each has their own unique perspective and vision. Some focus on the things we take for granted; others have shared images of neighbors, friends, and family as they navigate the day-to-day. To borrow a phrase from one of the photographers (Jessica Leigh Deleon), images of the “the good and bad, the unique and the mundane.”
It is a documentary of an unprecedented time.
The new images from each of the photographers in this exhibition will be posted by every Monday evening from now until May 11th.
As a part of the programming, the Galleries at CCBC are encouraging the community to share their Covid-19 experiences by posting images with the #perseverepics on Instagram. Every week, the gallery staff will review the images under this hashtag, and one will be featured here on the exhibition website.
#perseverepics will continue until social distancing restrictions have been completely lifted.
I encourage you to share images of your experiences in #perseverpics. Follow the hashtag to see how we all are persevering, staying connected in isolation, and expressing solidarity.
- Nicole Buckingham Kern, curator
4.21.20- 4.26.20
Week 2
Robert Creamer
A Re-photographic Survey
"A blink of the eye lasts 1/3 of a second. I use my cell phone to capture blinks of time. These blinks create a visual history, a documentation of events however passive and common. These blinks freeze time and make memory easy for me to revisit. I see empty spaces and think of all who proceeded me (even those whom I have never met). We forget so many things. We will always forget things. Remembering needs assistance. In this case my photographs are autobiographical and they remind me of quiet times.
This week's work is all about finding light in the house. All day long the light changes and broadcasts itself on ignored forgotten moments. Sunbeams become theater lighting- spotlighting those things we take for granted -things that will seemingly always be there.
Geoff Delanoy
"Since the COVID outbreak, I’ve found myself returning to mindfulness practices as a way to grounded during these times.
Contemplative interaction with nature has been a part of my artistic practice for about the past 12 years. Sheltering in place I’ve made it a point to get outdoors into nature daily for exercise, to get the kids away from their screens, and for walking meditation. These photos come from this contemplative photographic practice."
Jessica Leigh Deleon
"My work over the past few weeks has shifted from capturing time for client-families, to documenting the time at home with my family and in my neighborhood. These are difficult times for many, but on a daily basis my goal is to find the silver lining when possible, though there are days when that doesn't happen, and that's ok too. I document it all (the good and bad, the unique and the mundane). As an artist, this isn't much different than the work I do with my client-families, but in light of the current state of the world, it's given me motivation to explore and slow down and get creative with my observations. My current images are full of my own two children (two boys: a 1st grader and a toddler) who have proven through this all, that they are each other's best entertainment. We walk everyday and scenes from our neighborhood and neighbors are also very present in my current work."
Steve Dembo
"These images are of things I would normally be doing - hiking or taking long walks outdoors - and things I'm doing to compensate - Nordic Track indoors (if the weather doesn't cooperate). There is much beauty outside, and I hope to explore this beauty. My images will also deal with remote classes, remote Camera club meetings & remote coffees with friends. Isolation can be somewhat tolerable. Make it so!"
Tiffany Jones
"During the moments of stillness, I look to light. Accepting the world has been forever changed, it is the light that guides us through darkness. Accepting what is at the moment, allows us to surrender to discomfort, leading us to let go of fear and become a little more comfortable with the unknown. Light will always guide us, illuminating a journey that replaces fear with a desire to activate the freedom to change and grow. As normalcy seems to be non-existent, what is familiar keeps us grounded…. I look to light."
Howard Korn
"In the world that Covid has created, my professional and personal lives have blended. Where last week’s images were anchored in the certainty of my everyday personal life, this week’s present the opposite: the front lines of the Covid fight as reflected in the faces of doctors I photographed this past week for Kaiser Permanente."
Mollye Miller
"This is how I see quarantine life in my neighborhood and in surrounding neighborhoods in Towson, MD and Baltimore City. I am doing a separate project showing families on their front porches during quarantine. These two projects overlap. This is what I see between those photoshoots, when I'm out on a walk with my dog, at the grocery store, driving to drop off groceries at my parents' house, on a video call, etc. This is what's new and normal and sometimes visually jarring."
Kyle Myles
"These images are primarily informed by my immediate surroundings, which during this time is mostly my apartment, though they also include scenes found on long walks and bike rides around my neighborhood and nearby areas. I am finding scenes and light that I think may have gone unseen had I not been confined to home for such long periods of time. All images are unaltered and made with an iPhone. "
Kyle Pompey
"During times of crisis and hysteria I find myself leaving my fears behind me and engulfing myself in the world as it’s known at the time. Photography is for documenting moments whether they are good or bad, either way they have to be recorded. When I go out I think to myself, “what or who is being overlooked?”, and then I go and capture the essence of whatever “that” is. In almost every crisis I’ve lived through in Baltimore the homeless, mentally ill, and the drug addicted individuals are looked over. I always tell myself to take the realest images I can and that usually means taking an image without them knowing (my goal is not to exploit so I try not to make their faces too visible). I post these images in hopes that it will spark something in someone to want to do something about it. We all have our super power and mine is capturing life as I see it. Be safe y’all and remember your super power is no good if you don’t use it. "
Colette Veasey-Cullors
"During this time of uncertainty, fear, frustration and longing, my photographic interest have gravitated toward a focus on the little moments that are expressed in my day-to-day existence. I am interested in highlighting the important connections that help me to understand how to make meaning of a world that is in peril and at the moment siloed from a larger world. How do you focus your attention on creativity when people are dying, loosing their jobs and feeling isolated and scared? What is the meaning of taking a picture and sharing it with others? For me this question is answered by highlighting what connects us and how to find the beauty and importance in the mundane and the here and now."
Todd Wilson
"The world today has been put on a physical hold which I personally believe will have a lasting impact on our future. It will likely change how we live, but also transform how we see and think about daily life. Taking a positive approach to a terrible situation, I look at the current crisis as a chance to slow down, be more creative, and look for the beauty in our everyday world that may have been overlooked prior to this. "
