RIT Photo Photojournalism Student Capstone Projects and Exhibition
Hi everyone! This is Ashley Crichton writing again for RIT Photo! In this post, I will be discussing the RIT Photojournalism Class of 2019 Capstone Exhibition – One With Us. For some background about what a Capstone experience is and a few elements of the gallery show, shared below is the program’s description of the event.
The Photojournalism Capstone is a required year long project that all graduating students in the photojournalism program must successfully complete. It reflects the culmination of skills students have developed during their time as students and visual storytellers. Towards the end of the their junior year, photojournalism majors are encouraged to choose a topic they are passionate about and focus their research on finding a visually compelling story. The goal of the capstone process is to cultivate advanced research skills, exceptional time management, and a produce a year-long final project that will serve as a launch pad into the professional world of photojournalism.
The Photojournalism Class of 2019 gallery show comprises the work of six graduating students work. Traci Westcott, Boris Shirman, Mustafa Hussain, Cuauhtemoc Paz, Jediah Plumley, and Ellen O’Neill. Each of their capstone projects were short documentary films rooted in themes of community and family. With various cultural backgrounds and skills, these students have all produced pieces focused on topics ranging in immigration, gender-identity, adoption, sports, and human rights.
It was so exciting to go to the gallery and be able to see all the hard work these seniors have put into their projects. I have been hearing about most of their projects and seeing drafts of them for a couple months now, but to see their work in a gallery setting really elevated the experience of viewing them. I was so proud of my friend’s work in the show and amazed by how well they were able to tell these complicated stories.
I spoke with almost all of the seniors about their experiences seeing the pieces come together and be displayed in a gallery setting. A lot of them talked about how long of a process it was to create the work, and that the gallery was an incredible moment of finally seeing the stories they had worked so hard on get the exposure they deserved. They talked about how Lyndsey Palmer, along with the entire School of Photographic Arts and Sciences staff, was an incredible help getting their pieces ready in the gallery. Apparently there is a lot more that goes into creating a new show than most people expect.
One senior I spoke in depth with was Ellen O’Neill. Her piece, Coming Together, is a story following two families, including her own, and their experience with Chinese adoption. She said it was really rewarding to see everything come together. It started to feel ‘real’ to her when they began installing and collecting all the miscellaneous items for the gallery walls. When they were planning the whole thing, it took a lot of teamwork and patience for everything to come together. She had to learn people’s work habits and motivations to collaborate with them effectively. At the gallery opening, she found it weird to have everyone watch something that was such a huge part of her time this past year, as well as a huge part of her personal history. Even though it was an odd feeling, but she got some really good feedback and it felt good.
Another senior I spoke with was Mustafa Hussain. His Capstone was about Hasan Korimullah, a 16 year old Rohingya refugee living in Chicago. Hasan was able to make the trip from Chicago to Rochester for the gallery show. This was a very important part of the show for Mustafa, he said covering Hasan’s story was humbling and he was happy to be sharing it with a larger audience. He said that it was just an overall positive experience having people view his work. More importantly, it was great to have Hasan there with me. He looks forward to continuing work telling stories with the Rohingya.
I wasn’t able to speak with Traci Westcott about her experience at the show, but watching people experience her piece was one of my favorite things. Her capstone subject, Tabitha Emo, was at the opening and was able to watch the finished piece for the first time. It was an emotional experience for both of them. Tabitha had never heard many of the opinions her family members held about her life choices and heard them for the first time while watching Traci’s Capstone. Seeing moments like that, where you really understood how much work like this can make an impact on someone’s life, makes me appreciate how important photojournalism work is.
It was really lovely to get a glimpse into the work photojournalism students are creating. I know many of my third year photojournalism friends, who are just beginning their capstone projects now, are looking forward to next year when their projects will be in the same space and the work they will have put in to their own pieces. I think the Capstone Gallery is an amazing way to celebrate to work the PJ students create and it is one of my favorite exhibits to visit.
About Ashley
Ashley Crichton is a 3rd year advertising photography student from California. You can read more about Ashley by following this link.
