Hey hey hey! It’s that time of month again and it always brings me joy. As always, I hope that you’re good and things are peachy keen in your world. If not or if so, I’m sending you positive vibes either way. Why? Because you deserve it. We all do!
This month was very mellow in the best way, so if this newsletter feels a bit abbreviated in comparison to my previous newsletters, be thankful with me that I’m in a moment of stillness. As you know from my previous newsletter, I started teaching a summer course (Intro to Photography) which just ended. It was a smooth semester and while it had its tiring moments, primarily due to grading, I finished the semester feeling good. I had a wonderful group of students and seeing the work they made at the end was inspiring and motivating for me to continue doing better each semester.
I started off July in Seattle, WA to spend time with my sweetheart (aka my partner, Alex) and we had a great time. We did some exploring around the city, went on a hike, and ate some good food. Shout out to him for also enduring my pleasures of indulging in 90-Day Fiancé and Terri Joe videos. After I came home, I dove back into my studio work and my role as the Program Director for MARN—both of which have been extremely gratifying.
Speaking of my studio practice, I am taking deeper strides with locating the families of the images I was sent 2 years ago in response to my work, Our Mothers’ Gardens. I’ve tried my hardest to do it mostly solo with the help of other professionals, and I’m finally ready to make it public. If you’re not familiar with this part of my previous body of work, here is a synopsis from part of a statement I wrote a while back:
Early in my research for my body of work entitled Our Mothers’ Gardens, a part of my work critiqued Peter J. Cohen’s collection focusing on why he was listed as the photographer and owner of specific works held at the Art Institute of Chicago. After communicating with him personally and advocating for the change of ownership at the Art Institute of Chicago, I was given permission to restore the images back to their original owners. I am in a unique position in my practice where I am beginning restorative photographic justice work. I was sent 20 images from his personal collection in order to research and analyze the images with the information provided on the back of the images. It is a tedious task I have taken on with great pleasure and hope to use this residency to create a fruitful body of work detailing this experience. While this work is showing my restitution work, it is also meant to show that restitution is possible and vital, especially in communities of color.
I’m currently in the works of building a space on my website about it, though in the meantime I have created a name for this special project which has a private Instagram (for now). The name of this separate project is “Surely You Know” which is inspired by the following terminology I’ve used in several artist talks: “Surely someone knows who’s in these photos”.
Kind of corny, but it works right?
*Pretends you agree with me*
So, if you’re interested in following along, you can go ahead and give the project a follow on Instagram at @surely.you.know.
As an added note, I’m simultaneously still working on introspective work that has been tough and equally rewarding. I’m still sifting through my own personal archive of photographs and diary entries. I’m still not ready to talk too in-depth about this work (a little annoying, I know), but I did want to bring it up and let you know that I am making progress and delving into installation work which I haven’t really done before, and I’m excited about that.
But those are enough updates for this month, so I’ll jump into some quick highs and lows.
MONTHLY HIGHS AND LOWS…..
HIGHS…..
-Spent time with my partner in Seattle earlier this month
-Finally found and purchased my favorite album of all time (Blonde by Frank Ocean) — shout out to Chris K. Lee for sharing Hyde Park Records with me and I highly recommend checking them out if you’re in Chicago!
-Finally met the incredible Whitney Bradshaw and participated in one of her amazing OUTCRY sessions (you should definitely check that out if you’re not familiar with it), which leads to my next high…
- I screamed for the first time in years, and it felt amazing.
- Got back in therapy last week after a 2-year hiatus
- Almost to my financial goal to afford my tuition for yoga instructor training (a goal of mine I’ve had for 3 years!)
- Made a habit of going on daily 2-3 mile walks
LOWS…..
- Took my first (and LAST) redeye flight
- Battling extreme exhaustion and confusing doctor’s visits (but I will be fine, so no worries needed)
NEWS + UPDATES…..
This month, I wrote 2 exhibition reviews on Lenscratch about two photographers who I deeply value and respect: Natasha Moustache and Grant Gill. You can find the NATASHA MOUSTACHE: LEROZYON (L-EURO-ZHUHN) article here and the GRANT GILL: GLOWING IMAGES article here. Check them out as well as their work!
The online workshop that I was scheduled to teach this summer with Santa Fe titled Archival Projects: Bringing the Past to Life is now canceled.
My work included in the HCP 40th Center Annual Exhibition in Houston, TX is still open through August 20, 2023! If you happen to be there and give it a visit, let me know!
I am open and available for freelance writing and photography opportunities. If you or anyone you know need my services, reach out to me here and let me know. I’d love to work with you (or anyone you know)!
ART/CULTURE STUFF I’VE BEEN INTO…..
Here’s what I watched over the past month (not that much honestly), and of course, if you ever have any show or movie recommendations that you want to send my way, please send me an email so I can watch and follow up with you about it later.
Show(s)
Never Have I Ever Season 4 (TV-14 | 2023 | Drama) – 4/5
Movie(s)
Really Love (R | 2020 | Drama) – 4/5
RANDOM PHOTOS IN MY CAMERA ROLL OVER THE PAST MONTH…
Well, friends, that’s all I have to share for this month. Thank you for reading and I hope you’ll join me again next month! If you ever miss any newsletters, you can find them in the archive on my website and if you’re interested in what I’m up to in the meantime, check out my Instagram (@alaynapernell)!
Take care of yourself and I’ll see you next month in August.
Love you, mean it!
- Alayna N. Pernell