Project Background
On Friday, April 9th, 2021, I sat in a folding chair at the back of a Walgreens, bathed in fluorescent light and my own tears, pretending that everything was normal. I had just received my first dose of the vaccine and was overwhelmed by the moment, but unable to talk to the strangers around me about any of it. We looked at our phones, we gazed at shelves of fertility tests and everything else they ubiquitously put in that section near the back, and acted as if this were any other day.
Since then, as the world has slowly started to open up and resemble the life that we now know we took for granted, I find myself thinking..... are we going to talk about what just happened? Or are we just going to stand up, brush ourselves off, and keep going without looking back?
There is value in looking back. Not to wallow or prevent us from moving forward, but for our collective processing and healing of this era.
Pairing portraits with interview quotes, "So, Are We Gonna Talk About It?" is a virtual home for our pandemic stories- a place to learn, share, and reflect, as we collectively navigate the transition from the height of the pandemic to whatever comes next.
I want to talk to you!
Did you experience the pandemic? You're eligible! For now, all interviews are in-person. Let me know if you'd like to participate. By participating in the project, you agree to have your portrait* and story shared in the exhibit and on social media (in the context of the project). If at any time you decide you don't want it shared, I can take it down. Length of interview is flexible, I will record our conversation, you don't have to answer any question you don't want to. I am currently in Florence, Italy, but am based in Northwest CT.
*There is an option to be anonymous in the final project- I can create a portrait that doesn't include your face, for example.
Why support this work?
Any or all of the above may apply to you:
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You or someone you love lost someone during the pandemic and you're looking for a meaningful way to honor them
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You believe that reflecting on and sharing our stories is valuable
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You want there to be a virtual archive of pandemic stories
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You believe in supporting artists
the launch of this project is made possible by the Department of Economic and Community Development, Connecticut Office of the Arts