By Susan Green
Many people have old family photographs--portraits of ancestors stiffly posing with a variety of props in front of exotic backgrounds. What you can't see in these black and white portraits is the rich color and texture of the backdrops. Now you can.
A new exhibition on view May 27 through August 3, "From the Background to the Foreground: The Photo Backdrop and Cultural Expression," at the Kennedy Museum of Art, sheds light on this worldwide cultural phenomenon with more than 20 photography backdrops from Asia, Africa and the Americas. Many of the backdrops are 10 x 12 feet large and include vibrantly hued, hand-painted quilted pieces.
Extravagant studio objects and props, 19th and 20th century photographs, contemporary and folk art, interactive installations, audio and video recordings and texts are also included in the exhibition.
"The photo backdrop has been a dominant illusory and expressive device since the invention and dissemination of photography in the 19th century," said James Wyman, director of the Kennedy Museum and curator of the exhibition. "'From the Background to the Foreground' is the first major exhibition to consider this worldwide phenomenon and its effects on understandings of photographic and cultural representation."
Historic figures, events and places depicted in some of the backdrops seem to be based on Western notions of time and space and are often used to localize the portraits. In others, invented color, anachronistic references and fantastic scenes are represented along with mythical figures and events to evoke and preserve important cultural beliefs.
Lucy Lippard, one of the featured essayists in the exhibition writes, "The backdrop setting presents a place in which the photograph's subjects occupy new, often inappropriate, "realities," ... they are most often idealized landscapes (urban or pastoral) or architecture (interior or exterior), emphasizing beauty, spirituality, elegance, exoticism, opulence, or just an exhilarating and colorful fantasy. Humor often plays a role in the form of unlikely situations ..."
Be sure to bring your camera with you to this intriguing exhibition so you can "step into the picture" and create a portrait of your family and friends. Visitors also can participate in the creation of new images that they can either take home, or leave at the museum to become part of the exhibition.
The Kennedy Museum is the last stop for this nationally touring exhibition that originated at the Visual Studies Workshop in Rochester, New York and was made possible through the generous support from the Polaroid Corporation and the New York State Council on the Arts.
Special events will be held in conjunction with the exhibit. A Kennedy Museum exclusive "Members Only" Director's Gallery talk will be held at the museum on May 30 from 5 to 6 p.m. followed by a public reception from 6 to 8 p.m. For museum membership information call (740) 593-1304.
Also, don't miss the museum's "Graduation Photo Days" on June 13, 14 and 15. Bring your new graduate and a camera for a special opportunity to take your own portraits with an international backdrop.
Susan Green is a writer with University Communications and Marketing.
