Anatomy of an Exhibit
Catholic Charities USA Centennial Leadership Summit
Yesterday, on April 20, 2009, Catholic Charities USA held their Centennial Leadership Summit at the College of St. Catherine. This event marked the inaugural exhibit of the "In Our Own Backyard: U.S. Poverty in the 21st Century" photojournalism awareness project. The summit kicked off Catholic Charities' ambitious goal to reduce poverty in the United States by 50% by the year 2020.
The entire exhibit process was meticulously documented, much like the television show '24', but instead of saving the country from terrorists, we were hanging art (perhaps the lamest metaphor ever).
T-2 weeks: Once the project was defined, the supply chain of raw materials started filling up. This exhibit required two cases of 4'x8'x1/2" black Gatorboard.
T-1 week: Each image was printed on premium luster photo paper (wide color gamut, scratch-resistant but susceptible to fingerprints), vacuum mounted to the Gatorboard, then trimmed to size and packaged. A total of 50 images were printed and mounted for this exhibit.
T-24 hours: The finished materials were delivered the day before the exhibit opening. The exhibit panels presented some challenges, with the image layout being the most critical.
T-12 hours: The image title blocks were completed, enhancing the storylines. I was delighted to see Carlos Gonzales from the Minneapolis Star Tribune participating, having known him from the Max Becherer exhibit.
T-4 hours: No exhibit is complete without a politician. In this case, it was the Honorable Mayor Chris Coleman of St. Paul.
T-0 hours: The exhibit generated a lot of discussion with its 'first person, photojournalistic' style.
T+x: From St. Paul, the exhibit moves to Portland, Oregon, and begins a nine-city nationwide tour, aiming to conclude at the White House in 2010.
Math, art, and a touch of drama—all in a single blog entry. Now that's efficient blogging.
