Protest Portraits - Outdoor Art Installation
Donation protected
I’m a portrait photographer in Plymouth, New Hampshire. Anyone who has followed me for long knows one of my favorite quotes: “Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other’s eyes for an instant?” (Henry David Thoreau).
Shortly after the murder of George Floyd, I decided I wanted to help support the Black Lives Matter movement in some way. I started by watching and listening, trying to educate myself. Then I began a personal portrait project called Protest Portraits. I welcomed protesters into my studio during protests on the common in Plymouth, NH. I listened to peoples’ stories and shared their portraits.
Protest Portraits is a large-scale outdoor art installation. It provides an ongoing presence of peaceful demonstration and protest. Life-sized portraits of protestors with their signs are displayed on oversized panels. These are arranged in public spaces with quotes from each individual on why they are there.
The exhibit was first displayed on the Plymouth, New Hampshire town common from August 1-9, 2020. This exhibit was free and open to the public. It has been well-received. During the opening reception alone, we saw about 100 people.
Though all of the labor to build this exhibit was from volunteers, the cost for materials was about $5,000. It also required additional insurance, and we will need to rent trucks to transport it. Later, the exhibit will be installed at schools and universities around the state, and--we hope--the NH statehouse.
I hope that these portraits will be an invitation to every viewer to look closer. A closer look often creates empathy. Empathy creates understanding. Understanding builds community. As a collective project, I hope that these portraits also communicate the sense of unity that I see, among everyone who stands in protest for a better country for all of us.
The exhibit is already being requested more and more. It will require transportation and upkeep. To make this doable and sustainable, please consider a contribution to this cause.
For more information, please visit https://maundymitchell.com/protest/
Shortly after the murder of George Floyd, I decided I wanted to help support the Black Lives Matter movement in some way. I started by watching and listening, trying to educate myself. Then I began a personal portrait project called Protest Portraits. I welcomed protesters into my studio during protests on the common in Plymouth, NH. I listened to peoples’ stories and shared their portraits.
Protest Portraits is a large-scale outdoor art installation. It provides an ongoing presence of peaceful demonstration and protest. Life-sized portraits of protestors with their signs are displayed on oversized panels. These are arranged in public spaces with quotes from each individual on why they are there.
The exhibit was first displayed on the Plymouth, New Hampshire town common from August 1-9, 2020. This exhibit was free and open to the public. It has been well-received. During the opening reception alone, we saw about 100 people.
Though all of the labor to build this exhibit was from volunteers, the cost for materials was about $5,000. It also required additional insurance, and we will need to rent trucks to transport it. Later, the exhibit will be installed at schools and universities around the state, and--we hope--the NH statehouse.
I hope that these portraits will be an invitation to every viewer to look closer. A closer look often creates empathy. Empathy creates understanding. Understanding builds community. As a collective project, I hope that these portraits also communicate the sense of unity that I see, among everyone who stands in protest for a better country for all of us.
The exhibit is already being requested more and more. It will require transportation and upkeep. To make this doable and sustainable, please consider a contribution to this cause.
For more information, please visit https://maundymitchell.com/protest/
Organizer
Maundy Mitchell
Organizer
Plymouth, NH