COMMUNITY PHOTO SHARING
At the heart of our work is Community Photo-Sharing, our unique methodology that fosters connection and storytelling.
WHAT WE DO
We host immersive, all-day Community Photo-Sharing events where individuals are invited to share their family and community experiences through their cherished photographs. Each participant’s interview is videotaped, and their photograph is scanned and digitized for preservation.
Our journey concludes with a “big reveal” where we celebrate the powerful stories unearthed during the interviews. A curated selection of participants, chosen by our team in collaboration with local partners, will present their stories and photographs on a big screen to an engaged audience.
The format encourages a dynamic dialogue, allowing audience members to ask questions and share their own family images and stories. This interactive exchange brings to light the connections and histories that often remain hidden in plain sight.
OUR PARTNERS
Our organization deeply relies on community-led approaches. Utilizing and continuing to hone on Thomas Allen Harris’ co-creative artistic vision and participatory practice, it is critical for us to foster an authentic and deeply local experience that emerges from the communities we serve.
We facilitate partnerships with deeply rooted local communities and organizations, including service clubs, youth groups, universities, churches, synagogues, schools, museums, libraries, public housing authorities, senior centers, local television, and radio and newspaper institutions.
These partners are selected for their strong reputations and trusted relationships within their communities, ensuring a collaborative and enriching experience for all participants.
OUR RESULTS
Participants in our Community Photo-Sharing events and public marquee performances build close, intimate bonds with each other across perceived differences of age, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual preference, or class.
People attending our events have: discovered unknown family connections; uncovered little-known histories; learned about people from different cultures; and seen the world through alternative family experiences. The community engaged sees themselves with new eyes and becomes part of an enlarged communal “family.”
“I think it’s been almost 2 years since you came to Lee county to film our people here and your involvement in this part of America I think has changed us.” – Seth Ford
OUR TESTIMONIALS
“I can’t begin to tell you how moving yesterday was for me. There’s something about photos and the stories they evoke that can make one feel so connected to this world, especially in moments when we feel like outsiders, nomads, looking for a place of belonging. So, thank you, my dear, for doing this in Harlem and more importantly, FOR Harlem. This community (like so many others) deserved to be validated in so many ways, you are a part of that blessing. And thank you for letting me share my Guyana story.” – Grace Ali, Artist, Curator and Publisher Of Note Magazine
“The two-hour discussion left me continually inspired and in admiration of Family Pictures USA’s mission. As a USC Film/Television major and first-gen immigrant, I have a tireless work ethic, a strong academic foundation to take on any task I’m given, no matter how big or small… Family Pictures USA gave me a window into the largely unrecorded universe, which is aligned with my own interests in telling the stories of the forgotten people. I wish to learn from your inspiring and loving team and hope that one day I can inspire others to join in finding illumination of the once veiled nooks.” – Hongman Zhang
“It was rich and full of beautiful stories. This is such a great and valuable project… I immensely enjoyed this presentation.”
“This conversation was such a delightful and powerful way to lift up these stories, our stories. I didn’t imagine I’d stay the whole way through, and I did. So moving.”
Do you want to activate your community or institutional archive?
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