July 5–August 4, 2023

Reception: Thursday, July 27, 5–7 p.m.

Columbia College Chicago’s Glass Curtain Gallery is pleased to present two simultaneous exhibitions by recipients of the Diane Dammeyer Fellowship in Photographic Arts and Social Issues—In Their Own Light by Melissa Ann Pinney and I Am An Eclipse by Dylan Yarbrough in collaboration with poet Marcela Ossa.

“In Their Own Light” is a result of Melissa Ann Pinney’s five-year artistic tenure in Chicago Public Schools, which coincided with the historic merger of two segregated schools, persistent racial inequalities, gun violence, and the challenges brought about by a global pandemic. The images in this exhibition expose a remarkable range of emerging identities within the context of friendships and school traditions in Chicago Public Schools. The students define themselves, having grown up heir to the Black Lives Matter movement, the #MeToo movement, and an insistence on gender fluidity. Pinney’s portraits push back in complex ways against the stereotypical, often negative images of young people in our public schools.

“I Am An Eclipse” is a socially engaged art project led by photographer Dylan Yarbrough and poet Marcela Ossa in conjunction with Centro Romero, a long-standing nonprofit organization supporting the immigrant and refugee community of Chicago. In the creation of this work, members of the Centro Romero community were prompted to write a short composition of creative nonfiction and to sit for a portrait. The resulting artwork is presented as diptychs, with the participant’s written composition displayed on the left panel and a silhouette portrait on the right panel. The written pieces encompass a range of styles, including poetry, short stories, testimonials, and reflections centered on the theme of “Eclipse.” The photographs, captured from a side view, utilize striking lighting to create a silhouette effect. The silhouette acts as an eclipse, simultaneously revealing and concealing the identity of the subject. The artwork invites viewers to reflect on themes of immigration, community, the power of testimony, and the forces of light and dark.

These exhibitions are supported by the Diane Dammeyer Fellowship in Photographic Arts and Social Issues and partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.

Melissa Ann Pinney: In Their Own Light
Dylan Yarbrough with Marcela Ossa: I Am An Eclipse
July 5–August 4, 2023
Glass Curtain Gallery—Columbia College Chicago
1104 S Wabash Ave, 1st Floor, Chicago, IL 60605
www.colum.edu/deps
Gallery Hours: Monday–Friday 9 a.m.–5 p.m.

Images:
Dylan Yarbrough with Marcela Ossa, Marcela O. Chicago, 2023

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