Photography exhibit to hang at Orcas Library

Nichole Proffitt thinks of the camera as a tool to bring people together, and as a way to show what life experiences are universal and which are individual to each person alone. She believes that photography is a way to educate and initiate dialog between people.

“I think there is a common thread that links all of our experiences,” Proffitt said. “We all love, eat, sleep and have a need for closeness to others but, other experiences are meaningful to only us. The photography project will showcase 10 photos from each of the 10 participants’ lives and show what is meaningful to them at this life stage.”

For the exhibit, which will be hung on Jan. 24 in the Conference Room at the Orcas Island Library, the novice Orcas photographers will each represent a different decade. Nine of the participants, one to represent each decade from nine to 85 years of age, have already been found. Proffitt is still looking for a participant in their 90s. An opening reception for the photographers will be held on Jan. 21 from 6 to 8 p.m.

“I can imagine a 60-year-old looking at the photos of the nine-year-old and thinking, ‘Oh Wow, I remember doing that as a child.’ I hope the exhibition will let people from the same community look at what is going on in each other’s lives,” Proffitt said.

Proffitt did a similar project on film as part of her college senior project. She talked to women in Thailand, India and the United States, trying to see what made them different and the same.

She says she was looking for confirmation of what we are doing on this earth and she found that in general women everywhere shared concern as mothers for their children and wanting to live a life that was meaningful and rich.

With a “Common View: Through a New Lens” she wants to work on a smaller scale in her own Orcas community.

Photographers are being asked to photograph what is meaningful in their life over a 24-hour period. Together with Proffitt, they will narrow all the photos down to 10 that are the most visually beautiful.

“They are being asked to photograph the things, events, people, places and experiences that give their life meaning,” Proffitt said. “Working with one person from each decade, the photographs will explore the connections between the different people in this community, and the common and uncommon experiences of people in different stages and places in life.

“They can choose to photograph subjects as obvious as their grandchildren at Christmas or as subtle as a cloud,” Proffitt said. “Everyone will of course photograph different things that can be both relative and abstract. My own photographs of what is meaningful might be a cloud or a strange corner of my cabin.”

Proffitt has been working with the novice photographers to capture their innocence and simplicity as they explore photography as an art form for the first time. She has given them some simple directions on photography such as keeping the subject in focus, but other than that, has left them to discover and explore the art on their own.

“I wanted their work to be raw and spontaneous,” Proffitt said. “There is something beautiful about people coming new to an art form. Of course, even the keeping of the subject in focus direction can be ignored. There might be something meaningful to someone in a blurred image.”

Proffitt started Your Open Eye in 2006, which utilizes photography and writing as therapeutic tools for personal growth. She currently teaches photography to children and teens at The Funhouse. She hopes to do two more community photography projects after this one and eventually start a non-profit organization that uses the art of photography. Information on her classes and future projects is available at www.youropeneye.com.

Proffitt is still accepting donations to cover the cost of the prints, framing and the reception.

“My goal is that through the camera lens we will explore the connections between experiences among people,” Proffitt said.

“The purpose of making these connections between different people is to bring us closer, as individuals, communities and cultures. When we see our own experience affirmed within the vast macrocosm of human experience we feel less alone, more connected, and more responsible to and for each other. The essence of this project is to foster a sense of compassion among participants and a desire to work toward positive social change.”

Photography exhibit to hang at Orcas Library

Nichole Proffitt thinks of the camera as a tool to bring people together, and as a way to show what life experiences are universal and which are individual to each person alone. She believes that photography is a way to educate and initiate dialog between people.

“I think there is a common thread that links all of our experiences,” Proffitt said. “We all love, eat, sleep and have a need for closeness to others but, other experiences are meaningful to only us. The photography project will showcase 10 photos from each of the 10 participants’ lives and show what is meaningful to them at this life stage.”

For the exhibit, which will be hung on Jan. 24 in the Conference Room at the Orcas Island Library, the novice Orcas photographers will each represent a different decade. Nine of the participants, one to represent each decade from nine to 85 years of age, have already been found. Proffitt is still looking for a participant in their 90s. An opening reception for the photographers will be held on Jan. 21 from 6 to 8 p.m.

“I can imagine a 60-year-old looking at the photos of the nine-year-old and thinking, ‘Oh Wow, I remember doing that as a child.’ I hope the exhibition will let people from the same community look at what is going on in each other’s lives,” Proffitt said.

Proffitt did a similar project on film as part of her college senior project. She talked to women in Thailand, India and the United States, trying to see what made them different and the same.

She says she was looking for confirmation of what we are doing on this earth and she found that in general women everywhere shared concern as mothers for their children and wanting to live a life that was meaningful and rich.

With a “Common View: Through a New Lens” she wants to work on a smaller scale in her own Orcas community.

Photographers are being asked to photograph what is meaningful in their life over a 24-hour period. Together with Proffitt, they will narrow all the photos down to 10 that are the most visually beautiful.

“They are being asked to photograph the things, events, people, places and experiences that give their life meaning,” Proffitt said. “Working with one person from each decade, the photographs will explore the connections between the different people in this community, and the common and uncommon experiences of people in different stages and places in life.

“They can choose to photograph subjects as obvious as their grandchildren at Christmas or as subtle as a cloud,” Proffitt said. “Everyone will of course photograph different things that can be both relative and abstract. My own photographs of what is meaningful might be a cloud or a strange corner of my cabin.”

Proffitt has been working with the novice photographers to capture their innocence and simplicity as they explore photography as an art form for the first time. She has given them some simple directions on photography such as keeping the subject in focus, but other than that, has left them to discover and explore the art on their own.

“I wanted their work to be raw and spontaneous,” Proffitt said. “There is something beautiful about people coming new to an art form. Of course, even the keeping of the subject in focus direction can be ignored. There might be something meaningful to someone in a blurred image.”

Proffitt started Your Open Eye in 2006, which utilizes photography and writing as therapeutic tools for personal growth. She currently teaches photography to children and teens at The Funhouse. She hopes to do two more community photography projects after this one and eventually start a non-profit organization that uses the art of photography. Information on her classes and future projects is available at www.youropeneye.com.

Proffitt is still accepting donations to cover the cost of the prints, framing and the reception.

“My goal is that through the camera lens we will explore the connections between experiences among people,” Proffitt said.

“The purpose of making these connections between different people is to bring us closer, as individuals, communities and cultures. When we see our own experience affirmed within the vast macrocosm of human experience we feel less alone, more connected, and more responsible to and for each other. The essence of this project is to foster a sense of compassion among participants and a desire to work toward positive social change.”