Charlie T, visionary photographer.
Tod Roulette Fine Art presents
Just As We Are: Portrait of Gay American
Photographs by Charzette Torrence (Charlie T)
December 8, 2005 – January 21, 2006
The New York Public Library, 96 & Lexington Ave
Sponsored by LOGO, GLAAD, Pam & Jack Peterson, PlanetOut.com, GO Magazine, Between the Lines, Danielle Johnson, Henry & Alice Johnson, and the Human Rights Campaign.
There will be a panel individuals featured in the exhibition Saturday January 14, 2006, at The New York Public Library, 96 & Lexington Ave, 2-5pm.
Talk about the genesis for the exhibition Just As We Are? Portrait of Gay America (or gay American?) How long did it take to plan and design it?
It all started in the beginning of summer of 2005. I wanted to do a photography book but did not know what type of book to do. So all summer long I went to conferences where one of the main topics concerned how the media was portraying us, which was not a positive light. At that moment I decided that we have to show the world who we are visually. We have to be the ones the change the way the world looks and thinks about us. So I want to show the world a new image to use: Just As We Are. That's how the name came about. I then did a prototype photo exhibit for the book. It took seven months to put together. I did not have any money when I started the project. No space to show, no subjects, and was laid off from my 9-to-5. But it happened. So, Just As We Are is my job now, and I love it.
How did you choose the subjects for the project? Were there other themes present in the work? For example, you showcase a few well-known people, as well as working middle-class subjects. Was this a conscious choice?
The subjects some are my friends and the rest came through word of mouth. It was consciously decided to choose an array of people. You didn’t have to be a model to be in this series. Keith Boykin and his partner, Nathan Hale Williams were a given. For me, it’s like when Harry Belafonte gave money to stop lynching in the South. I am starving, he said. I feel similarly. I aim to diversify the images of gays and lesbians in the mainstream. I wanted to mix it up, really.
Tod Roulette of Tod Roulette Fine Art, who presented Just As We Are, and is also featured in the exhibition.
Who is the intended audience for the Just As We Are?The intended audience is simply everyone. Tod Roulette thought it was important to have it at a library for the widest possible exposure.
What were your initial expectations for Just As We Are? How have people responded to the exhibit so far?
My expectation was to touch, move and inspire the world about the gay community. People are responding overwhelming positive to the exhibit. They think it is great. The masses generally do not know what gays and lesbians are doing. Some have expressed, “you mean these people are doing this type of work?”
There is diversity in the subjects as well as the design and even photographic style. Some biographical statements are written in first person, others in third person. Was this intentional?
It just happened that way and I love it. We traveled everywhere to get these subjects. I didn’t know what I was walking into. All I wanted to get a good composition. In some cases I was able to shoot them in their home. Most of them were two-hour shoots. As for the biographical statements, I think the stylistic diversity makes for a very interesting read.
Mingon Moore, one of the women featured in Just As We Are.
How long will it be up at the 96th Street Library?
Just As We Are will be at the library until the 21st of January
You shared a story with me about there being complications in your life prior to the completion of the exhibition. Can you elaborate here?
I just went through having a lump in my breast and having a biopsy completed two days before shooting the last two subjects. Fortunately, it turned out to be benign. During this time I also was unemployed with no money to buy film or process the prints, no space to show the work. So I raised the funds two weeks before the show.
Will the exhibition travel? Are there plans for an online exhibition?
Yes, the show will travel around the United States. No talks yet about online exhibits. The show is going to be at the Gay Community center after the library. We are working on a book deal for the exhibit right now and there will be a 10-city tour sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign.
How can people contact you directly?
I can be reached at charlietphotography@msn.com