How many clouds does one day in Columbia contain? And how many unbroken stretches of light blue sky? How many strange angles — observed as light slanting through trees or bricks uniting to form a building? How many scenes of simple grace? How many proofs of life?
A pair of locals wants to know, and wants their neighbors to take up their cameras, documenting what unfolds over 24 hours in the middle of Missouri this Saturday. The photographs you take will play a significant part in bolstering the mission of an area arts organization.
Each year, Access Arts hosts its CelebrARTy fundraiser, pairing prominent locals with accomplished artists to create an artwork that's distinctly their own. The teams raise money for Access Arts, and auction their works at a community party. This year's event will take place Sept. 17 at The Blue Note.
Among this year's teams: Johanna Cox and Rebecca Allen. Cox works for Veterans United, with a wealth of experience in community engagement and the arts. Allen is a documentary photographer who works across subject and scope, capturing more personal experiences as well as working on behalf of organizations like the True/False Film Fest and University of Missouri theater department.
Filmmaker Chase Thompson will bring an added dimension and lens to the project, showcasing the pair's efforts.
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Putting their heads together, Cox and Allen decided to go further than themselves, drawing on the community's creativity to make images of life in mid-Missouri. They're asking residents to take photographs between 12:01 a.m. and 11:59 p.m. Saturday somewhere in Boone County. Cox and Allen will collect and arrange the images, creating a unique photo book sized for a coffee table and endless conversation.
Capturing Boone County's many perspectives
To hear Cox and Allen tell it, the word "perspective" — and all the width and depth that word implies — is driving their efforts.
"I wanted to capture the spirit of Columbia and Boone County from different perspectives to show how there are things for everyone here," Cox said in an email.
While Allen described her work as more narrative in nature, she sees an underlying art to it: "the art of observation."
"So we decided to expand on that and create a day of community photography that celebrates life as art and encourages people to share what they observe and experience during a 24-hour period on a particular day," she said in an email.
How you can participate in this photo book project
Photographs could detail just about anything, but Cox and Allen would love to see "snapshots of family life and social interactions; scenes from work environments, religious and cultural traditions; personal or community events; everyday activities and routines; urban and street scenes, as well as landscapes and nature, among others," according to a news release.
Participants will need to submit their work digitally, requiring a free Google account.
Once Saturday ends, a new sort of work begins. Cox and Allen will review the images together, likely by printing them out in black-and-white, Allen said.
"This will help us see the images as a group and allow us to rearrange the images and narrow down selections, if needed," she said.
She envisions arranging the images chronologically, to watch as a day unfolds. How many images make the book will depend on several variables, Allen said, including "number of submissions, the page limitations for the book and the page layouts." She plans to include time stamps for each image and, of course, grant proper photo credit.
True to the purpose of CelebrARTy and Access Arts itself, they hope the project will help these citizen photographers see the art within and around them.
"We really want to see life through the lens of each individual person who submits a photo," Cox said. "Often I feel like art is out of my reach as I have never been a traditional artist. My hope is that people can see the artist in themselves as they capture their view of Boone County and have it printed in a fine art photography book."
You can learn more about how to collaborate with Cox and Allen online at https://bocomophotoproject.my.canva.site/.
What is Access Arts?
A Columbia mainstay for more than half a century, Access Arts offers creative experiences to people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds. Offerings include weekly courses in clay and fibers, a variety of summer classes and camps for kids. Access Arts also offers artist residencies and mounts regular gallery exhibits.
Who else is participating in this year's CelebrARTy?
Here are the other exciting groupings for this year's CelebrARTy:
- KOMU 8 anchor Taylor Freeman with potter Ashlee Christensen and videographer/photographer Dustin Hawkins
- Entrepreneur Mikel Fields with painter Jake McMahon and videographer Matt Schacht
- Central Bank of Boone County's Bridgett Randolph with artist Mira Stoddart and Kyle Gilleland
- Simmons Bank's Connie Morris with painter Ramsay Wise and Hawkins
- Battle High School principal Alyssa Galbreath with artist Jade Poe and videographer Nevin Dubinski
- LaBrunerie Financial's Robin LaBrunerie with artist Renee Monroe and videographer Chris Bass
- Columbia College's Jay Sparks with artist David Spear and videographer Karl Bussen
Learn more about each team and the fundraiser at https://schoolofservice.org/celebrarty.
Aarik Danielsen is the features and culture editor for the Tribune. Contact him at adanielsen@columbiatribune.com or by calling 573-815-1731. He's on Twitter/X @aarikdanielsen.
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