The Parrish Art Museum - East End Stories

East End high school students participated in Chicago based artist Dawoud Bey's residency at The Parrish Art Museum from March 28 through May 16, 1999. Not only did the teens sit for his stunning photographs but they learned how to create their own masterpieces as well. Bey uses a 5x31/2 foot, 235 pound Polaroid 20x24 inch view camera (one of only six in the world) that produces large-scale instant images of extraordinary detail and subtle color. His process requires sustained contact with his subjects. This collaborative effort results in a portrait comprised of several panels of each person that are larger than life, often focusing on parts of a face or hands. The photographs invest the sitter with a powerful presence while at the same time suggesting an intense intimacy. Having begun his career shooting photos with a hand-held camera on the streets of Harlem in the 1970s, Bey uses his museum-based projects to engage young people and people of color. "I try to get the students to become critical consumers of visual images..." Bey says. "By being subjects of my work they are able to examine the differences in how they see themselves and how I as an artist perceive and represent them. We also examine the ways in which stereotypes are created in photographs and popular media."