REA+CH Residencies

REA+CH Resident

Phyllis Wharton, professional photographer, and YSU photo graduate Angela Pandolph were our artists in residence this past summer for the Museum’s outreach program for inner-city youth. This was our fourth year of partnering with the Ursuline Sisters Ministry. The new program was entitled “My People: a Photo Exploration of Connectivity and Community.” Inspired by Langston Hughs poem, “My People,” the objective was to memorialize the people to whom the children felt particularly connected and who had meaning in their lives. Using the traditional medium of black and white photography, twenty youths were given their own camera and instructed in its use, methodology, and printing processes.

The final works were featured in an exhibition at the McDonough Museum, which opened during the Summer Festival of the Arts. The opening was attended by many of the friends and family that populated the images. It was easy to see the pride each of the participants took in not only having their images on display at the museum, but also being able to show their families the end product of their newly acquired skills. The success of this program was also evidenced in the images selected by the students. These tender and revealing portraits offered the public a view into their private, complex, and challenging young lives.