Inside Out Project Brings Huge Photo Murals to Red Cloud
posted October 24, 2014
This month, Hi-ARTS, a not for profit organization for arts and culture, partnered with The Heritage Center at Red Cloud Indian School to install murals on campus as part of their latest project: Inside Out: Mi Gente/Oyáte Kiŋ. The Peoples Art Project was inspired by prolific photographer and TED prize winner JR.
Two photographers, Red Cloud alum Willi White '08 and Peter Pabon of Spanish Harlem captured portraits of their respective communities over several days of shooting. The photos were then enlarged onto huge posters and showcased in public installations on both the reservation and in Spanish Harlem as part of a cultural gallery exchange, transforming messages of personal identity into pieces of artistic work.
Inside Out is a global participatory photo program inspired by JR’s wish to change the world by celebrating the individuality of people in different communities. Black-and-white portraits are used to tell the story and are then shared with the public through large prints of approximately 36 inches x 53 inches. Nearly 200,000 people from 112 countries and territories have participated in this groundbreaking event. Hi-ARTS is excited to take part in this global movement to tackle bold themes such as hope, diversity, and gender-based violence.
The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is among the poorest of the 334 Indian reservations in the United States. The people face more than 80 percent unemployment, a life expectancy of age 48, and a median income of $3,000 a year. Spanish Harlem contains the second highest concentration of government housing in the United States. It has the highest unemployment rate in New York with 38% of the residents living below the poverty line, while suffering from many societal issues such as teen pregnancy, AIDS, drug abuse and an asthma rate five times the national average.
Both White and Pabon wanted to bring their love of the arts to their community, while helping and supporting the people. The photos were taken in September 2014 and now appear in two separate gallery openings. The gallery opening at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation took place on October 17 and The Spanish Harlem opening will be held at the Hi-ARTS Gallery and Artspace PS109 on November 14.
On Pine Ridge, the photos can be seen on the outside of the south corner of Drexel Hall on the Red Cloud Indian School campus as well as within The Heritage Center's gallery, and in nearby Manderson, SD at Pinky's store.
“We are thrilled to announce the opening of these two incredibly diverse exhibits. It has been an amazing experience working with Willi and Peter who have deep roots in their communities and were able to shine light on the people who live in them,” says Kamilah Forbes, Producing Artistic Director of Hi-ARTS.
Hi-ARTS is made possible through generous support from many organizations including the Ford Foundation, National Association of Latino Arts & Culture, New York State Council on the Arts, First Peoples Fund and individual supporters. For more information about Hi-ARTS Inside Out: The People Art Project/Group Action, please visit http://www.hi-artsnyc.org
This story is a shortened and modified version of the original press release from Hi-ARTS.
Photos © Red Cloud Indian School
