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Twin Town High (vol. 8) |
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Being Seen/In Between
Wednesday 29 November @ 13:44:50 |
 by CHRISTOPHER KOZA
The backdrop of this year’s Great American Sleep Out and Hungry and Homeless Cut-a-Thon at Moxie Salon and Art Gallery was the thoughtful series entitled Being Seen/In Between, the visual product of a collaboration between nonprofit organizations, artists and homeless youth. Though the kickoff event has since passed, stylish haircuts are still on Moxie’s menu, and between hair spray, scented mousse, hairdryers and ample you-never-looked-so-good mirrors, photography is still on the walls.
While art in nontraditional gallery spaces does not always succeed in demanding the attention it deserves, Moxie avoids that distinction by presenting a consistent body of work and keeping it at a friendly viewing level for the wandering patron.
Although a couple of the photographs in this exhibit immediately stand out, it is the story behind the project that brings the entire body of work to life. Jerome Fellowship and McKnight Foundation award-winning artist Peter Haakon Thompson was enlisted to work with a group of homeless teens through the Kulture Klub Collaborative and Youthlink’s Project Offstreets on a project that enabled youth to encounter familiar places from an emotional and creative perspective. In collaboration, Moxie Salon sponsors a yearly cut-a-thon and donates proceeds to local social organizations that aid homeless youth.
The 35 black and white photographs of various shapes and sizes on display are as unique as the individuals they represent. Independently each image elicits a range of emotional responses. These are not sterile design photos or north woods landscapes, and they refrain from being steeped in urban turmoil and personal struggle. The point of the project was for the many first-time artists to create positive and working relationships within their normal surroundings. As a result, these images evoke a sense of timid joy and careful freedom. Hardship is rarely apparent, and the photographs become expressive windows that allow us to view the vision and optimism of youth who have not always had reason to feel that way. These are encouragingly personal revelations and read like regular kids growing up as regular kids.
Kulture Klub director Mike Hoyt explained that the Being Seen/In Between series was completed over the course of several weeks, with a hands-on approach that piled kids into a van filled with cameras and gear and sent them out to be shutterbugs. Minnehaha Falls and First Avenue in downtown Minneapolis where Project Offstreet is located are settings for a couple of the photographs. That so many people and organizations were involved in the process only enriches the whole of the exhibition.
A popular hair salon may seem a vain and anomalous setting for artwork that involves youth concerned about social needs such as housing, education and health care, but Moxie’s involvement gives this series a shot of self-esteem by association and helps the images reach a larger audience. This contrast also plays an unexpected role in establishing a dialogue between the viewer and the artist.
All the photographs are for sale as originals or reproductions, and proceeds from specific sales go directly to the individual artists. ||
Kulture Kulb: Being Seen/In-Between is on display through Dec. 31. Moxie Salon & Gallery is located at 2649 Lyndale Ave. S., Mpls. For more information about Kulture Klub, please visit kultureklub.org.
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