Cultivating Community: Exploring Youth Perspectives Through Rural Photography

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Cadence Crowson, "Wheels of Fortune," 2022

film photograph Courtesy of the artist.

Cultivating Community: Exploring Youth Perspectives Through Rural Photography

Kim Camps, Cadence Crowson, Sara Froesse, Jennifer Giesbrecht, Paige Hofer, Maren Livingstone, Kennedy Planger, Alexzandriah Steinborn, Alexander Wiebe

Opening Reception February 18 at 7 PM Come and meet the artists behind the work and network with community members.

In an increasingly urban world, the voices and artistic expressions of youth living in rural municipalities often become lost among the noise. Young rural artists also face additional challenges due to geographical isolation and resulting difficulties accessing materials and instruction. As a result, many young rural creatives may never see their art shared on a wider scale.

The Cultivating Community Rural Youth Photography Project sought to address some of these issues through this exhibit. In preparing for this gallery show, youth living in the Municipal District of Taber, aged 13 to 18, were invited to participate in a series of workshops focused on photography and gallery curation. In the first workshop, participating youth were provided with photography instruction, a disposable film camera, and a prompt: “What does community mean to you?” Through their photographs, the youth were then encouraged to capture their own perspectives of their communities, including different spaces and activities that foster a sense of inclusion and belonging.

Inspired by photovoice research methods, participants were then invited to review their printed photos, discussing the themes and images captured and working together to select which photos they would like to include in the exhibit. The contributing artists also attended a workshop on gallery curation as a part of this process, allowing them to learn more about both sharing their own work and about curation as a potential career.

This process of both taking and selecting photos provided youth with the space to explore many skills and ideas, including self-expression, creative consideration of everyday spaces, and planning and time management. Youth were also challenged to accept the anxiety of not knowing the results of their photos until after they were developed; rather than focusing on getting the “perfect” shot, participants were encouraged to celebrate the uncertain and candid nature of their work and the way that mirrors many other aspects of life.

This project is a collaboration between Family & Community Support Services’ youth initiative, Kaleidoscope Inclusive Youth Programming, the Southern Alberta Art Gallery, and the Town of Taber – Arts, Culture, and Recreation Department. The physical exhibit will travel through the M.D. of Taber following its initial showing in the SAAG, making stops in the town of Taber, the Vauxhall Library, and the Barnwell Library which will allow the art to be more accessible to both the contributing photographers and the communities they live in. The SAAG will also be hosting a virtual online exhibit.

The creators of this exhibit would like to acknowledge that this project was produced on the traditional and current land of the Siksikaitsitapi (Blackfoot Confederacy), which is also home to other indigenous groups such as the Stoney-Nakoda, Tsuut’ina (Sarcee), Cree, Sioux, and the Métis Nation of Alberta Region 3, among others. We recognize the diverse histories, knowledge systems, and lifeways of the indigenous peoples who have shaped this land in the past, present, and future, and recognize an ongoing commitment to truth and reconciliation.