Photography as an Act of Care with Duquann Sweeney

In this highly effective dialog, Jersey City photographer Duquann Sweeney shares his philosophy that images is basically an act of care. From his Bergen Lafayette neighborhood, Duquann has spent years documenting the dignity, pleasure, and on a regular basis fantastic thing about his neighborhood by hanging black and white portraits. We discover his current work honored by the Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy, the Royal Men Foundation he based, and his collaboration on the WE’RE HERE Project documenting hidden histories. Duquann challenges us to carry onto three important parts: historical past, love, and creativeness.

Duquann Sweeney is a Bergen Lafayette native and Jersey City photographer whose highly effective black and white portraits seize the dignity and on a regular basis fantastic thing about his neighborhood. His work has been featured in exhibitions throughout Jersey City, together with a solo exhibition on the Communipaw Library and as a part of the Onee bike show on Grove Street. Beyond images, Duquann is a neighborhood organizer and founding father of the Royal Men Foundation, a nonprofit that gives fellowship and different sentencing packages for males. He can also be a collaborator on the WE’RE HERE Project, which paperwork Jersey City’s hidden histories.

Connect with Duquann Sweeney:

• Photography as care: Photography is not only about technical ability however concerning the belief between photographer and topic, and the duty to signify individuals as they wish to be seen

• The energy of archiving: Care extends past the second of seize to how pictures are saved, preserved, and displayed in stunning areas

• Countering adverse stereotypes: Intentionally documenting the positivity, magnificence, and on a regular basis life in communities which might be usually portrayed negatively

• The significance of historical past, love, and creativeness: Three important parts to carry onto, particularly throughout occasions of uncertainty and erasure

• Community constructing by artwork: How the Royal Men Foundation and images work collectively to strengthen neighborhood bonds and supply different narratives

• The lengthy view of inventive profession: Success doesn’t occur in a single day—younger artists ought to imagine of their work and preserve pushing ahead for the lengthy haul

• Perspective in images: The story modifications relying on the angle—photographing two individuals supporting one another from behind tells a totally totally different story than from the entrance

• Everyday heroes: Recognizing the significance of each function in neighborhood, like Richard Boyd cleansing the church earlier than Sunday service

• Communipaw Library – Location of Duquann’s solo exhibition that includes neighborhood portraits

• Royal Men Foundation – Nonprofit group based by Duquann in 2012 offering fellowship and neighborhood help

• WERE HERE Project – Collaborative venture documenting Jersey City’s hidden histories

• Salem Lafayette Court – The neighborhood in Bergen Lafayette the place Duquann was raised and continues to doc

• Kathleen Collins – Jersey City filmmaker and activist, topic of Duquann’s signature closing query

• Ming Smith and Dawoud Bey – Influential photographers within the custom of documenting Black communities

• “The New Jim Crow“ by Michelle Alexander – First book studied by the Royal Men Foundation

Coming soon on substack – an article inspired by my interview with Duquann – Subscribe so you do not miss the articles that go along with my podcast interviews.

Join me for a conversation with Jersey City writer Tim Herrick, author of the book The Subconscious City – Love, Art & Artists Jersey City, USA

Music: Our theme music is “How You Amaze Me,” composed by Jim Kalbach and carried out by Jim Kalbach, Bryan Beninghove, Charlie Siegler, and Pat Van Dyke.

Support the Show: Subscribe to the podcast and join my Substack to obtain extra tales and visuals that complement every dialog.

Share Your Story: What sidewalk tales have you ever found in your neighborhood? Share them with me by e-mail or social media.

Nat’s Sidewalk Stories explores the intersection of place, neighborhood, and storytelling by conversations with practitioners, neighborhood leaders, and native changemakers.