The frames meet the photographs

Finally, the photography was positioned on each frame with carefully chosen paper, smaller frames or artifacts that acted as supporting backdrop.  Some pieces on the frames are interactive with the intent of having viewers drawn into the photographs. Photographs and frames dictated what additional artifacts needed to be added, the beauty of many of the photographs needed very little added other than mats or smaller framing.  Each  frame took on its own personality and no two frames are alike.  This process was both fun and exhausting.  It became a challenge to have each frame tell  its own story.  The mounds of pictures and frames at one point seemed endless, but finally the end was in sight.

Framing the exhibit

Once the photographs for the exhibit had been collected the hunt for frames was on.  It was important that the frames used would frame the stories they would tell.  I hunted in Thrift shops and  took donations from friends.  I was specifically looking for distressed frames, old and worn with stories of their own.  I chose a combination of sizes and shapes, wood, metal and plastic frames.  I removed the glass so that there would be no glare when viewing the pictures.  Frames were sorted into size and shape then stored in boxes.  Foam core and covered boards were attached to each frame.  Then, the fun part....pictures, artifacts and frames were arranged in groups for each story board/frame.

Sorting things out

When beginning to collect photographs I set a goal of 100 pictures. I didn't know how I'd possibly get that many but I knew if I collected 100 I could sort through them to find enough good shots for the display.
Over the course of several months the pictures started to come in.  Some pictures people game me to scan and return other pictures came through email.  Some pictures were gathered by visiting the homes of the contributors.  At last count I had 300 plus photographs.  All the pictures were perfect, full of stories and all of them keepers.  As I received the pictures they were  scanned then sent out to be printed.  The next task was how to display them....by the age of the photograph?..by contributor?...by similarities?  Finally the pictures were divided into categories_ portraits, portraits standing, portraits sitting, children , school, people at worship, people at play, people in the military, romantic couples, weddings, people at work, special occasions, and families.  Each set of photos was placed in an envelope.  Then it was time to frame.

The next step

Once I  purchased the pictures I let them sit for a while. There was something in the eyes of the people in the photographs that begged for their stories to be told.  Who were these people?  How had they come to be photographed ?  What were their lives like? What message was in their story for the next generation?  Slowly the idea began to form, maybe I could collect other photographs and combine them with my Mom and Dad's pictures for some type of display.  I purchased several books on African American photographs and photography.  A friend suggested I learn more about W.E. B. Dubois' series of photographs for the "American Negro" exhibit  in 1900. I asked friends, neighbors and everyone I cold think of to dig through their family scrapbooks and boxes and share photos with me.  I needed a time frame for the pictures to fall in.  One of the most significant times of growth and development in our country for  African Americans as they struggled to define themselves was the period after the end of slavery and the beginning of the civil rights movement. The time frame decided upon for pictures was 1863 which marked the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation and 1955, the beginning of the Civil Rights movement.  The story told in the  display would be a picture walk exploring the lives of African Americans sharing their stories through their deep glares  from the frames and photos, their proud poses and fashionable dress, and  the many ways they are photographed living simple, quiet, distinguished lives.  

The beginning of the journey

     Early in the summer of 2012 I was at a favorite antique mall  and came across some old photographs.  What made these particular photographs stand out is they were photographs of African Americans.  Also, several of the shots were very old, somewhere in the 1800's.  I could approximate the age of some because of the fashions and the style of the photography.  I had fond memories of flipping through my parent's scrapbooks growing up and remembering the pictures held in place with the paper corners, mounted on black paper with white writing that told of the occasion the picture was capturing or the names of the people in the photographs.  I was so excited I bought all the pictures they had, about 40, not yet knowing what I'd do with them. I knew it would be something to do with the museum.

Save the date, February 1st, for our upcoming photo exhibit gala. There's still time to send in your photographs. Final date for submitting photographs is January 11, 2013.   Photos must be between the dates 1863 and 1955.  Please scan and attach pictures and send them to:  dlinckhandsonblackhistory@gmail.com