Photography Project: Wanted Gay and Lesbian Couples and Families

From photographer, Alix Smith, if interested please let her know you saw her submission call on Out Impact:

“States of Union

Throughout its history, portraiture has been used to memorialize the family lineage and honor family patriarchs and matriarchs; however, these visual depictions have focused almost exclusively on the heterosexual family unit. While, heterosexual families have a pronounced and illustrated legacy, gay families have almost no history of depiction. The final years of the 20th century and early years of the 21st have witnessed a determined challenge to and potential redefinition of the traditional meaning of “family.” The shift has been a source of heated debate: nationally in mainstream media and in federal and state political chambers; locally in churches, synagogues, mosques and schools; and personally between peers, coworkers, around the dinner table, and between parents and children. Given this cultural zeitgeist, this project aims to create a visual record depicting gay and lesbian couples and families and thereby will constructively contribute to the current debate.

The aim of the project is twofold: first to create positive role models for the gay and lesbian community; second, to challenge those who continue to malign the notion of gay and lesbian families by forcing the critics to confront an image that calls into question any preconceived notions of how such a family actually appears. Thus, the intended viewership is both those who are comfortable with the notion of gay and lesbian families as well as those who are not.

Each set of subjects will, with the guidance of the artist, choose a classical painting upon which to loosely base the photograph. The purpose of playing off, themes or other aspects of commonly recognized portraits is threefold: First, by drawing upon classical images, the tropes used to promote heterosexual family units can be re-appropriated and reinvented to serve a more expanded view of family. Second, this technique will draw upon the skill of the viewer to look below the surface of the image. Third, in so doing, the viewer may recognize something familiar about the image and may feel a kinship with these families who might otherwise look and feel unrecognizable.

The final outcome will be a gallery show in New York City, a traveling public exhibition, and a published book. The book will allow for an even wider audience and further discourse. At no point in the project will my subject’s names be revealed. I want the families to be anonymous, not only to protect their privacy, but so they become representatives of gay families across the globe.

I am looking for gay and lesbian families and couples who might be interested in participating in such a project. It is my hope that subjects would be willing to offer their time in exchange for participating in a project that will promote their concerns.

Ansel Adams was able to affect lasting change on the American landscape by photographing vast spans of wilderness that were later turned into federally-protected national parks. Dorothea Lange’s photograph “Migrant Mother” became the impetus for collective action that helped bring relief to the starving migrant workers of California. It is with this history in mind that I believe photography can not only make a lasting impression, but can move a culture and legislature in a particular direction. In light of the recent setbacks for Gay and Lesbian families in the states of California, Arkansas, Florida and Arizona, it is my belief that this project might have an impact similar to the images taken by Ansel Adams and Dorothea Lange. My sincere hope and genuine aspiration is that this project will help bring equality for all families.

If you are interested, or know of anyone who you feel would be interested, please get in touch with me. 646.251.1609 alix@alixsmith.com“

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