The Stand
This summer, The Stand offered a new storytelling series — From Where We Stand — in which South Side and West Side residents shared their families’ summer stories through photos.
The participants’ photos will continue to be on display through mid-October in the Link Gallery at Syracuse University’s Cantor Warehouse in downtown. The gallery is based on the ground floor of the building located at 350 W. Fayette St.
South Side resident Dale Harp worked with mentor Bob Gates. Both spoke at the opening reception held Sept. 11 and shared what they got out of the experience. Before this project, Harp said, the only camera he ever used was a disposable one. “Every step of the way, Bob has been with me to teach me how to use the camera, upload photos and answer my questions,” Harp told an audience of about 50 attendees.
Gates, a professional photographer and retired professor at Syracuse University, shared how refreshing it was to work with Harp. He described how excited, eager and passionate Harp was to learn. “In all my years of teaching, I have never had a better student,” Gates said.
A theme that emerged from participants’ final photos is that black fathers do play a role in their sons’ lives. In several images on display, a father playfully chases bubbles with his young son, a father supports his son’s dream of becoming a boxing champion and a grandfather teaches his grandson how to ride a bike. Brenda Muhammad, a participant in From Where We Stand, said it best when she shared: “This project is important because it shows there are strong men supporting and raising their sons in this community.”
In this upcoming issue, our cover story is on student artist Alexis Belt, a SUNY Purchase freshman, who made it into a top art school thanks to support from Talent Agency, a local nonprofit that helps low-income students prepare art portfolios for college programs.
Also featured is a profile on local musician Jeff Houston, who hopes to continue recording music despite now battling cancer for the second time.
We also spotlight the Elks Pride 315 drum line, a recently opened used bookstore, the MENS Program and share an update on the Eat to Live Food Co-op.
Click the cover to view a full pdf issue and be sure to visit FromWhereWeStand.net to view all of the participants’ photos from our summer project.
