2008 Woodie Awards
Kip Fulbeck exhibit showcases racial diversity
Meredith Lippman
Issue date: 1/24/08 Section: News
Kip Fulbeck will grace Union with his presence in the Nott memorial on Thursday, January 31 at 7 p.m. An established artist, one who deals specifically with racial diversity and identity, Fulbeck agreed to share his art and ideas with the Union campus.
Rachel Seligman, the Director of Mandeville Gallery, explained that this exhibit was "an unexpected art opening. We generally have four exhibits a year, and all slots are booked a year in advance." However, "we had a cancellation," and Seligman "was talking to some people...and heard about Kip Fulbeck. He was addressing issues that [Union] has been talking about and his approach was interesting and different."
Fulbeck, who is of a racially mixed background, started the "Hapa Project" in 2001, photographing volunteer subjects who also had racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds. He titled his project in order to give a once-derogatory term, implying someone of a mixed ethnic heritage-generally one of Asian or Pacific Island origins-a positive spin.
Junior Jasmine Maldonado, co-chair of the African and Latino Alliance, explained that she "love[d] that he turned the word 'hapa' into a good word…I believe that we have the ability to do that with a lot of formerly derogatory words…it just takes some time."
Fulbeck's portraits, which are currently on display on the second floor of the Nott, are, as Seligman described, "portraits which are a combination of [people's] physical images and, in their own handwriting, something unique about themselves."
This project "was meant to be," smiled Seligman. "It worked out really well. We put together specific images that we thought would incorporate a broad range of subjects, and then Kip made the prints for us."
Seligman explained that generally the art Union receives are traveling pieces, which have not been printed specifically for the College's purposes. One of the benefits of this is the wide variety of subjects in each of these photographs. Seligman explained that there are "mixtures of everything-some humorous, some deep, some sad, some literal. We built a nice balance and range so that everyone who comes to see the show can relate to at least one of the subjects."
Rachel Seligman, the Director of Mandeville Gallery, explained that this exhibit was "an unexpected art opening. We generally have four exhibits a year, and all slots are booked a year in advance." However, "we had a cancellation," and Seligman "was talking to some people...and heard about Kip Fulbeck. He was addressing issues that [Union] has been talking about and his approach was interesting and different."
Fulbeck, who is of a racially mixed background, started the "Hapa Project" in 2001, photographing volunteer subjects who also had racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds. He titled his project in order to give a once-derogatory term, implying someone of a mixed ethnic heritage-generally one of Asian or Pacific Island origins-a positive spin.
Junior Jasmine Maldonado, co-chair of the African and Latino Alliance, explained that she "love[d] that he turned the word 'hapa' into a good word…I believe that we have the ability to do that with a lot of formerly derogatory words…it just takes some time."
Fulbeck's portraits, which are currently on display on the second floor of the Nott, are, as Seligman described, "portraits which are a combination of [people's] physical images and, in their own handwriting, something unique about themselves."
This project "was meant to be," smiled Seligman. "It worked out really well. We put together specific images that we thought would incorporate a broad range of subjects, and then Kip made the prints for us."
Seligman explained that generally the art Union receives are traveling pieces, which have not been printed specifically for the College's purposes. One of the benefits of this is the wide variety of subjects in each of these photographs. Seligman explained that there are "mixtures of everything-some humorous, some deep, some sad, some literal. We built a nice balance and range so that everyone who comes to see the show can relate to at least one of the subjects."
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