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West Side / South Side

West Side / South Side

 

West Side South Side Presenter Grid

West Side/South Side is a component of Brilliantly Bernstein: Beyond the Baton, a six-month festival in celebration of the Bernstein centenary | Presented by the Mann Center for the Performing Arts with sponsorship from PNC Arts Alive and the National Endowment for the Arts | Curated by NEWorks Productions and the Mann Center. 

Viewer discretion is advised. Some images may not be appropriate for children.


Curator's Statement:

West Side/South Side is a photo exhibition inspired by the centenary birthday celebration for the iconic composer Leonard Bernstein. It draws specific inspiration from Bernstein's West Side Story, which broke new artistic ground with the decision to explore in this musical a rivalry between two teenage New York street gangs of different heritage one Puerto Rican, the other White, both American. Premiered on Broadway in 1957, Bernstein challenged us to look past our differences and find paths towards common ground.

In this spirit, West Side/South Side is a photographic exploration of American cultural diversity, recognizing both its triumphs and challenges. The exhibition is comprised of student photography from five academic institutions in three major cities: American University and the University of the District of Columbia in Washington, D.C.; University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA; and the Art Institute of Atlanta and Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, GA; and guided by their professors Iwan Bagus, E. Taylor Bareford, Barbara Proud, and Deidra Tyree Smith. A total of 54 student photographers have tackled this project throughout the spring semester of 2018 as part of the course curriculum at each school. From this larger body of work, 33 images produced by 29 students were selected for a national traveling exhibition that was mounted in the Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation Gallery on the campus of NYU-Washington, D.C. (May 2-30, 2018), the Beauchamp C. Carr Gallery at the Woodruff Arts Center (June 9-30, 2018), and the 2nd Floor West Gallery of the Free Library of Philadelphia, Parkway Central Branch (July 11-August 30, 2018).


No matter which side of town we reside in, or where we come from, in this great land of democracy and opportunity, there should be a place for us all... somewhere.

- Nolan Williams, Jr.

Video: Aaron Caplan

West Side South Side Education Partners

Special Recognition

IWAN BAGUS, American University, University of the District of Columbia
E. TAYLOR BAREFORD, Art Institute of Atlanta
BARBARA PROUD, University of the Arts
DEIDRA TYREE SMITH, Clark Atlanta University
DARNELL WILBURN, Art Institute of Atlanta

Special Acknowledgement

CATHERINE CAHILL, President/CEO, Mann Center for the Performing Arts
LIONELL THOMAS, Director, Fulton County Arts & Culture
The Free Library of Philadelphia, Parkway Central Branch
NYU-Washington, D.C.
The Woodruff Arts Center, Atlanta, GA

Arielle Abilo | Rhoda Blount | Arnika Dawkins | Alec Fertel | Nancy Field | Christopher Hickey | Ray Llanos | Brittany Loffert | Kristen Maddox | Anne Leighton Massoni | Thomas McIntyre | Kevin Muehleman | Andrew Nurkin | Kelly Schempp | Emmitt Stevenson | Lindsay Sparagana | Delando Stocker | Carole Sykes | Polly Terzian | Sheina Waddell

Special Thank You

The student photographers who contributed their work to this exhibition:

American University: Delfina Barbiero | Jean Vozella | Kitty Kouwenhoven | Lulu Fong | Sergio Teran Baldizon (Naret Photography) | Taylor Mickal | Tim McPhillips | Yuki Ishibashi

Art Institute of Atlanta: Aboubacar Kante | Aundrea Danielson | Courtney Blue | Curtisey Liggins | Damir Wiggan | Jaylen Taylor-Rooks | Jorge Echevarria and Cristina Bahena | Katiah Byrd | Kristopher Burris | Manuel Menendez | Phaedra Williamson | Stephon Duff | Taja Travis


Clark Atlanta University: Afiya Williams | Andria Ward | Carnica Durham | Jasmine Royster | Jaya Paci | Jenise Harden | Raven Brown | Saurice Wilson

University of the Arts: Alexander (AJ) Adriance | AnaMaria Garcia | Bridget McKenna | Chloe Hollingsworth | Dylan Pearce | Hailey Bruinsma | Hannah Bailey | James (JAMi) Lyon | John Marie | Liz Waldie | Sam (S.) Malandra-Myers | Shaina Nyman | Tiana Zurawski | Tony DiGiugno

University of the District of Columbia: Allison Swift | Emma Shetter | Herminio Palma | Jamar Hutcheson | Jhon Ochoa | Kimberly Cunningham

Opinions expressed are those of the artists’ and may not reflect those of Fulton County Arts & Culture, the Mann or NEWorks.