Hosted by Lisa Novak (School of Collaboration and Invention) with support from artist and educator Forrest Lawson, and funded by the Broun Fund Micro-Grant Award, Youth Space 2021 invited Athens-area teens to participate in a youth-led art and social practice program at the Lamar Dodd School of Art. Over the course of four months, Sam Goldberg, Ana Mowrer, Gabriela Jones, and Emma Scott met weekly to develop and plan a community-oriented photography project, in which Athenians were handed disposable cameras and invited to respond to a random selection of 27 prompts. 

From hoax to bitter, nostalgia to discomfort; the group was interested in encapsulating the community members’ own interpretations of each prompt. Once cameras and photographs had been returned, and unable to know exactly which photo was taken for each prompt, Youth Space participants engaged in various processes of (re)interpretation; which of these photographs embodied “anticipation”? And which ones looked more like “hoax” than  “trust”, for example? 

A publication and the accompanying exhibition at the Lamar Dodd School of Art’s Bridge Gallery, showcase and celebrate the photographs taken by the 27 community participants – (re)interpreted by local youth.

Come join us for the exhibition opening on 18 June from 6:00-8:00pm at the Bridge Gallery. Drinks and food will be provided, and masks are encouraged.