First Person Arts

Back in May, we invited photographer Chris Paquette to a Salon to share a project he’d been working on documenting roadside memorials to car-accident victims. There was a spirited discussion afterwards that inspired Paquette to expand the project in a new direction:

I have been photographing Road Side Memorials for the past two years. In May I presented a slide show and lecture about my project at First Person Arts in Philadelphia. Several people at the First Person Arts lecture encouraged me to expand and continue this project. And now begins the process of meeting and interviewing people who have created some of these memorials in order to tell their stories.

Two weeks ago I interviewed Annie, who lives in Delaware. Ten years ago, when she was 16, her best friend Colin was struck and killed by a drunk driver.Annie and Colin were born a day apart and were inseparable friends their entire lives. In November, it will be exactly ten years, and friends and family will gather at the base of the tree in the small town in North Carolina where Colin died. The tree that Annie begged the city council not to cut down during the Tree Replenishment program a few years ago. Don’t take my tree….she begged. Ten years. Annie cried throughout most of our conversation. The pain is still so real.

Read the rest here.

First Person Arts established the Salons at the Gershman Y as a showcase for emerging and accomplished artists working in memoir and documentary art across a variety of media. On Wednesday, July 9th, join us for the next Salon at the Gershman Y!