As if on cue, ARC photographer John Bromley said to reporters Wednesday as Martin Benjamin unveiled some of the pictures that will hang next week in the Arts Atrium, “I got good shots! I got good shots!”
And so comes the show's title.
The exhibition runs Feb. 10 through March 30 in the Arts Atrium. A reception with the artists will be Thursday, Feb. 13, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., with remarks at
6 p.m.
Good Shots, photographs by and of people with mental disabilities, had its
beginnings two decades ago at a summer camp for mentally disabled children. It was there
that a young photographer — Benjamin — was struck by the candor and raw enthusiasm of
his subjects.
Since that time, Benjamin has harbored the conviction that the mentally disabled —
with all their candor and enthusiasm — would themselves make wonderful photographers.
Starting Monday, it seems they will prove him right.
In 1994, Benjamin went to a day treatment program run by the Schenectady County
Association for Retarded Citizens (ARC) and let some of the clients use his camera.
Encouraged by the photos they took, Benjamin made more visits with some Union students.
Eventually, those visits evolved into classes complete with lectures, field trips and
critiques. “Every class with the ARC was an exhilarating experience,” he said.
“As the photographers' pictures emerged, the idea of an exhibition became a
reality.”
On exhibit will be photos by Bromley, Richard Bryan, Sandra Corlew, Jennie DiMarco,
Shirley Epting, Liz Kirwin, Tony Matarazzo, Robert Stowell and David Weston from the
Schenectady ARC; and Union College Professor of Photography Martin Benjamin with Union
College students Azul Jaffer, Noelle Pirnie, Douglas Tanner and Manisha Tinani.
Good Shots is produced by Union College and the Schenectady County Association
for Retarded Citizens.
For more information on the exhibit and a link to the on-line exhibition catalog (with
photos by the artists), visit www.union.edu/UTODAY/SPECIAL/GOODSHOTS/index.html.
The page also is available through “Special Announcements” on the Union College
homepage.