“Otherness” is never one thing.
https://www.matthewsopera.com/blog/me-the-other-online-exhibit/
This collection of portraits and autobiographical statements tells a story of our community where we all share the human experience of being an ‘other’. Individual experiences lead us to a certain set of assumptions and pre-judgements. Yet, the experience of otherness often comes in unexpected places. Some otherness is external; some is internal.
For many, we do not know of their otherness until she or he is willing to share this vulnerable place of the soul. By seeking to understand the individual through her and his story, experiences, struggles, and accomplishments, we find parts of ourselves in each of them.
Through this project, we create a platform for conversation about the things that connect us, rather than keep us apart. We aim to open the awareness and understanding of prejudice and otherness in our community.
Take a moment to get to know these individuals through their stories and pictures.
This collection of portraits and autobiographical statements tells a story of our community where we all share the human experience of being an ‘other’. Individual experiences lead us to a certain set of assumptions and pre-judgements. Yet, the experience of otherness often comes in unexpected places. Some otherness is external; some is internal.
For many, we do not know of their otherness until she or he is willing to share this vulnerable place of the soul. By seeking to understand the individual through her and his story, experiences, struggles, and accomplishments, we find parts of ourselves in each of them.
Through this project, we create a platform for conversation about the things that connect us, rather than keep us apart. We aim to open the awareness and understanding of prejudice and otherness in our community.
Take a moment to get to know these individuals through their stories and pictures.
Ana Nemec
From a distance I am your average 30-something Midwestern white woman.
Ashley Selgeby
I was born on November 15, 1984 with a Grade 3 brain hemorrhage. The doctors did not expect me to live and told my mother to pick out the clothes I should be buried in.
Dimitri Butts
What makes me an “Other”, at first glance one would assume my hair or maybe even my skin but that is just a combination of God-given elements that define me.
Darius Frimpong
I believe as individuals we are all different but still bound by the human race which is what makes us incredibly similar as well.
Erica Whitiker
A time in my life when I have been an “other” … that’s a great question, one in which I’m not sure where to begin. There have been many times in my life where I’ve been an “other”, but the one that stands out the most has also been one of the best decisions of my life.
Lynn Ensor
Hi, my name is Lynn and I am the youngest of 8 children. When I was little, my daddy was a cop. He committed suicide when I was 5 years old and left my mom with nothing.
Marsha MIttman
“Otherness:” most often understood as a “deviation” from an expected, accepted norm. If so, my “otherness” derives from two factors.
Roberta HIlliger
Tahiry Razafimanjato
Like many Malagasy people, I am not yellow enough to be qualified as Asian; nor with enough dark complexion to be called black.
Special thanks to:
Each of the individuals pictured above for contributing their human experience to this project.
Alison Murphy, a senior photography student at Black Hills State University, for taking and printing each of the portraits in this exhibit.
Dimitri Butts, Mass Communications major at Black Hills State University, was instrumental in building community through developing this project.
Northern Black Hills Rotary Club for co-sponsoring the Film Festival.
The Bush Foundation for funding ArtCentral through a Community Innovation Grant to The Matthews.