Winter 2008 When A Picture Is Worth 1,000 Words: Photography Class Teams with Sixth Street Workshop K ATE MORRIS only brought home to them the realities and Portraiture: A Retrospective of the Sixth Street One evening just after Thanksgiving last year, complexities of the issue of homelessness, but Photography Workshop” which showcased students in Renee Billingslea’s “Exploring also engendered a spirit of trust and openness photographs from a decade of Sixth Street Society Through Photography” class were that is clearly visible in the photographs that collaborations. Accompanying these important honored to share a meal with the residents were taken on November 4. Participating works was a separate exhibition of thirty works of Community Homeless Alliance Ministry student Megan Raimondi described the works: by the fourteen students in Billingslea’s class. (CHAM) in San Jose. In fact, the meal was the “Each person in each picture has a story – a Leyna Roget echoed the excitement of all of students’ idea, and they cooked it themselves story full of love and loss and joy and struggle the student participants when she remarked: on the evening in which they presented shelter “It was really great to see the photographs residents with albums of photographs that displayed in the exhibit, and so professionally. the students had taken at CHAM a month Seeing the photographs framed and in a earlier. Portrait Day at CHAM, which took museum setting created a sense of legitimacy; place on November 4, was one in a decade-long about the class and the project.” By the time series of similar events organized by the Sixth the two exhibitions closed in March, nearly Street Photography Workshop, a collaborative 4,400 visitors had come to view these and community-focused organization that powerful portraits. shares the art and craft of photography with Clearly, the experience of volunteering in the low-income and homeless people. The goal shelters, participating in Portrait Day, and then of such projects, according to Sixth Street being featured in the De Saisset exhibition founder and artistic director Tom Ferentz, is to and public programs, was rewarding to “encourage creativity and enhance quality of students. In the best sense, Billingslea’s class life by engaging people in the activity and art and the collaborative project reflect both the of making photographs.” Photo by Renee Billingslea Department’s and the University’s commitment Recognizing the potential of such projects to Students prepare photo albums for families to promote “rigorous inquiry coupled with bring issues of ethics and social justice into at CHAM. creative imagination, reflective engagement the classroom, Billingslea restructured her with society, and a commitment to working traditional “Introduction to Photography” and pride and suffering. And each story, just toward a humane and just world.” Student course to bring photography into contact with like mine and yours, deserves to be heard. Each participant Kat Harper summarized her the larger Santa Clara community. “When a face deserves to be seen. Each person deserves experience this way: “Working on this project photograph is created from a place of empathy, to be loved. This project is a small start, but it has made me confront what it would be like compassion, and consciousness,” Billingslea is a start. It has changed the way I see.” not to have the privileges I have been given, by says, “it’s not only a beautiful piece of art making connections with individuals that have but has the ability to provoke awareness in a When the story of the Sixth Street/SCU/ not had the same opportunities. I think it is viewer and help to bring positive change to our CHAM partnership was reported in the San easy to shy away from situations that challenge society.” As part of the new course curriculum, Jose Mercury News, an anonymous member us to look at ourselves in relation to a part of students and guest speakers engaged in of the San Jose community was moved to society that we feel different from. This work sustained conversations about homelessness, donate photo albums so the students could has forced me to do just that. It also makes poverty, and racial inequality, as well as about give their work back to the CHAM participant obvious that we would be wrong to think that photography and portraiture. families. Students had a great time compiling someone who is homeless is nothing like us. I the albums and then presenting them to their hope our photographs help our audience see In preparation for their Portrait Day friends after dinner at the shelter. In many these similarities, and I also collaboration with the Sixth Street Workshop, cases, these albums came to contain the only hope it prompts them to students also spent many hours during the personal photos the families have. But that do more than think about Fall quarter volunteering in two area homeless wasn’t the last that students and families would them, and perhaps reach out shelters: CHAM, and the Cecil White Center. see of the Portrait Day photographs. themselves. There’s just never enough that can be done.” The relationships that the students built there, with homeless children and their parents, not In January the De Saisset Museum mounted an exhibition entitled “The Power of Santa Clara University score) and SCU lecturer Marco Marquez, now begun work on her next research project which premiered in New York City in April. entitled “Galileo’s Venice: Reconciling Art, Photographers in Florence For her junior faculty development leave in Science, and Faith at the End of Now posted on the Art Department web site: spring, Kathy enjoyed an artist residency at the the Renaissance.” the full story about the Italian Photographic Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, bringing Exchange. This innovative project brought her husband David and baby daughter Sara in K ELLY DETWEILER together three photographers from Florence, tow. Her new wall installation, “Holy, Holy, Kelly Detweiler exhibited his work at the Italy and three from Santa Clara University. Holy” was included in the group show Banzai/ Triton Museum of Art as part of Beyond the Exhibits were held here and at the Syracuse Godzilla: Japanese Influences on American Likeness: Self-portraits by California Artists University in Florence campus. Santa Clara Art at the SFMOMA Artist’s gallery in San and participated in a panel discussion with faculty Renee Billingslea, David Pace and Francisco (June-July). This year Kathy was a artists Yolanda Lopez and Richard Godinez Susan Felter took part in this exchange; their featured artist on the KQED television in conjunction with the exhibit. He also counterparts in Italy were Stephania Talini, show “SPARK.” participated in two group exhibits at SJICA Francesco Guazzelli, and Maurizio Berlincioni and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art BRIGID BARTON Artists Gallery. Kelly was instrumental in Students Select de Saisset This will be Brigid Barton’s last year on the the development of an exchange exhibit with faculty, although she will continue to teach Syracuse University in Florence. The first half Acquisitions in SCU’s Osher Lifelong Learning Program. featured three artists from Florence exhibiting Students who enrolled in Kate Morris’s She continues to be active on the Palo Alto Art in our department gallery, and the return Winter 2007 course “Special Topics in Native Center Foundation Board and she also teaches exhibit will feature three photographers from American Art” were delighted to learn that in the Continuing Studies Program at Stanford our faculty exhibiting in their new art gallery their class project would make a lasting University. This summer, she and her husband at the campus in Florence. Kelly also helped impression on future generations of Santa Clara Rob took on a major hike from Mont Blanc to introduced the work of Korean artist Kim students. As part of an innovative collaboration the Mediterranean and hope to do even more Jung Hwa to the de Saisset Museum and this between the de Saisset Museum, the Art ambitious treks in the future! resulted in an exhibit during July and August Department, and the Center for Multicultural at the museum. Kelly was officially invited to Learning (CML), students in Morris’ class R ENEE BILLINGSLEA exhibit in Korea next summer by the mayor of were given the opportunity – and important Photography lecturer Renee Billingslea began Yeongchong who was visiting for the exhibit. responsibility – to select several works of art by the 2006-2007 academic year teaching a Kelly has agreed to serve the department as contemporary Native American artists to add new community based studio art course Chair for the next three years. to the Museum’s permanent collection. The “Exploring Society Through Photography” program, “Acquisitions for Diversity,” is the (Arts 51/151). This course was a joint project SUSAN FELTER brainchild of de Saisset curator Karen Kienzle, with the de Saisset Museum and Sixth Street Mesmerized by a lot of Italian church floors, who has utilized funds generously provided Photography Studio in San Francisco. She Susan Felter began work on a new photo- by the CML’s “Building Partners for Diversity also helped implement an International art montage series tentatively called “Old Marble.” Grant” to bolster the Museum’s holdings in exchange between photography faculty at Santa Her continuing “Hunting and Gathering” contemporary African American and Native Clara University and Syracuse University in montages were featured in the on-line arts American art. Last Winter, after conducting Florence, Italy. Renee has recently accepted magazine “Stretcher” (www.stretcher.org) in in-depth research projects and presenting representation from Michael Rosenthal April. Works from both series will be in the impassioned arguments to their classmates, Contemporary Art in Redwood City and will Fall 2007 studio art faculty show Experience students in Morris’ class voted to purchase be exhibiting new work Fall 2008.