March 22nd, 2022 sadly marks the first anniversary of ten lives lost in a tragedy that had an impact on many people. We believe that photography can serve as a tool for reflection, story-generating and healing.
A series of collaborative portraits made by Ross Taylor, an assistant professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, are on display at the Museum of Boulder, and several of the photos include audio stories. Examples include a portrait of the cellist who played for several days at the memorial site, the Assistant Manager of King Soopers, support staff from the Boulder Strong Resource Center, a museum staff member who cleaned every object and item left on the site, an inmate resident who raised money for the families of the victims, Sasha, a canine companion, and many more portraits.
The collaboration of the portraits and photos involved only those who wanted to share their story. The goal primarily focuses on the therapeutic act of building community through the power of documentary. By allowing a space for those to be heard and seen, documentary work can redirect memories of a moment and allow those negatively affected to reclaim strength through their representation. Selected artifacts of memorabilia from the memorial sites are also on display. Together, we process and celebrate the strength seen in each other’s reflection and response to tragedy as we move forward.
A CALL TO COMMUNITY TO PARTICIPATE: PORTRAITS AND DOCUMENTATION OF OUR COMMUNITY DURING THIS TIME CAN PROVIDE INSIGHT, COMPASSION AND CONNECTION. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD TO THE ARCHIVE AND PROVIDE YOUR PLACE IN OUR HISTORY, PLEASE CONTACT, ROSS TAYLOR AT ROSS.TAYLOR@COLORADO.EDU, OR CALL 757-412-8588. HE WILL PROVIDE MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE PROCESS AND IF YOUR PORTRAIT IS USED, HE WILL DONATE AN IMAGE TO YOU FROM THE TIME TOGETHER AS A THANK YOU. WE WANT TO HEAR YOUR STORY AND ABOUT YOUR CHOICE TO USE PHOTOGRAPHY: Perhaps you took photographs of art, poems, flags, painted rocks, flowers, stuffed animals, musicians, etc. at any of the memorial sites -- send them via email to: collections@museumofboulder.org. If you choose to donate your photographs to the Museum, they will be held in our archives, documented and may appear in future exhibits.
We will commit to a broad representation of those featured in this documentary reflection. Ranging from all aspects of the human condition such as: race, age, socio/economic and the experiences related to the shooting, we will ensure that a wide cross section of representation will be present throughout. It is our desire to put a call out specifically to the South Boulder community. For those who are underrepresented in the area, we will make specific efforts to include them in this opportunity.