Pictures of Home

Abstract

In a photograph just larger than life size, a young woman twists toward the camera, looking over her shoulder into the lens. She stands upright in an endless and undefined white space. Framing her round, youthful face are long wispy bangs crossed over her forehead. Strands of straight hair and loose, black, corkscrew curls fall down her back. Her bright, open eyes stare directly at the viewer. Does she give a parting gaze, a final look before entering into the unknown whiteness in front of her? What does she see? Is she defiant, offering a tense glare of resentment? Does she look back knowingly in a gesture of recognition? Is she looking back into the past with a face of disappointment, hurt by betrayal? Or perhaps this is the smoldering gaze of a budding starlet, part of a well-rehearsed pose for the paparazzi. To complicate these possible readings, the young woman stands draped from her neck down in an American flag. The few stars and stripes visible on the fabric cling to her from below the edge of the photograph. She commands our attention and the power of the flag at her will. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Simply titled after its sitter, Irene Zapata (2007) is an example of the latest compelling photographic series by Atlanta, Georgia-based photographer Sheila Pree Bright. Recently on view at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. Young Americans, consists of over forty individual digital color portraits of Generation Y-ers, posed with the American flag. In this post-September 11 world, the use of the flag is something see regularly on many things, from the rear windows of SUVs to jacket lapels. Particularly in this election year, arguably when it matters most, are increasingly desensitized to the flag and the nationalist rhetoric that it symbolizes. In the midst of the twenty-four hour coverage from the campaign trails, a new focus on the American flag has emerged: one that refocuses viewers on the diverse identities of the individuals that constitute America. Bright presents to us Generation Y, the youngest generation of America's voters and the nation's largest generation since the Baby Boomers. For several years, Bright has used her photography skills to reach urban youth about photography through the Office of Cultural Affairs in Atlanta. One of the frequent frustrations that Bright hears from her students is that they are not taken seriously by the generations currently in power. Repeatedly hearing this comment troubled Bright, particularly considering the overwhelming responsibility handed down to this generation regarding issues of politics, the environment, economics, and international relations. With all of this responsibility and little intergenerational communication, how prepared would this new generation be for the future? What unheard ideas do they have now that can contribute to the current state of the world? Are the media interpretations of this up-and-coming generation true? Or were some of the unattractive aspects of American culture-at-large, i.e. superficiality and materialism, being projected unfairly onto Generation Y? Bright conceptualized the Young Americans project to help answer these questions and bring forth new knowledge about this massive group. Between 2006 and 2008, Bright traveled to colleges and universities across the country to find Gen Y-ers to participate in Young Americans. She was excited by the opportunity to search for answers to her questions, and her excitement was met by the willingness of the students to fulfill the project. These students volunteered to participate in the opportunity for self-expression and the chance to disseminate their ideas in the art world. Bright's collaborative creative process sought to put her sitters at ease. Students were, handed a laptop with an open document that simply had the prompt AMERICA typed in the header. Each participant was asked to type in a response that would serve as the personal statement for the upcoming portrait. …