Through Our Eyes
Wandering Bear Gallery, Fairbanks AK
February 2020
Often, the homeless and other disenfranchised groups lose their ability to control their own narrative. Their stories are constantly being told for them and not by them. The Through Our Eyes project is a nationwide project that encourages participants to tell their own stories the way they want them presented in the world. Disposable cameras were given to local people in Fairbanks who were experiencing homelessness in August 2019 with one simple instruction-photograph your life.
The purpose of the Through Our Eyes Project is three-fold: emotional, physical, and spiritual. We want to provide joy in creating art. We want the photographers to feel the gratification that comes with being part of something bigger than they are. We want to provide awareness & support. We want communities to engage with different groups of people, learn how to love them, and support organizations that serve them. We want to provide hope for those who are hurting.
The photographs remind us that we all share the human experience no matter our circumstance.
#ThroughOurEyesProject #TheCamerasAreDisposable #ThePeopleAreNot
Click or hover over the images to bring them to life in color.
Meet our Local Photographers
These are the faces of some of the photographers who participated in the project in Fairbanks. Not everyone who took a camera is pictured here. You may notice the black squares in the grid- these are representative of the homeless children who participated in the project and who were not photographed due to confidentiality. Our youngest photographer is 8 years old.
Tour the Exhibition at Wandering Bear Gallery
Fairbanks Arts has been promoting traditional and contemporary arts in Alaska's Interior since 1966. In order to present your work in exhibition with Fairbanks Arts, a panel of judges must collectively select for your submitted portfolio of work.
Every fall, the Visual Arts Committee of Fairbanks Arts Association invites artists and artisans from Alaska to submit for review digital images of their work for possible solo, group, or curated exhibitions. Every Month, Fairbanks Arts features two fine arts exhibitions by Alaskan artists / artist groups working in a variety of media. Portfolios are reviewed by a panel of professional Alaskan artists and are chosen solely on the merit of the work samples entered.
Northern Soundings: Alaska in Conversation
Hosted by Robert Hannon
The Fairbanks Arts Association is accustomed to displaying images by local photographers. But the current display at the traveling Bear Gallery is unique for several reasons. The photographers are homeless, and their work was nurtured by the passion of a University of Alaska Fairbanks student. I recently sat down with Sarah Manriquez to learn about the Through Our Eyes Project and what drove her to help the marginalized find a means of expression.A portion of the Through Our Eyes Project in Fairbanks moves next month to Stone Soup Cafe. I spoke with its Executive Director Hannah Hill about the growing demand to feed the needy.
Artist Talk with Jason Williamson & Sarah Manriquez
For this artist talk, Sarah was joined by Jason Williamson, the founder of the Through Our Eyes project who travelled to Fairbanks from North Carolina to speak at the artist talk!
About Jason
Jason Williamson received his BA in Art with a focus on photography from Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC. After completing his undergraduate degree, he spent the first decade of his career in digital advertising. Williamson left his position working with over thirty newspapers as a corporate director of digital advertising to become a pastor. He received his Master’s degree in Missiology from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY.
Williamson is married to Elizabeth and has three children, Rylan, Bailey and Skylar. His passion for photography began in 1996, and he loves street, abstract and concert photography with a photojournalistic flair.
Williamson said, “I’ve worked on a lot of incredible projects in many countries, many that have changed lives. But, the Through Our Eyes Project might be the best thing I’ve been a part of. I’m thankful for everyone who made this project become a reality, especially my family sharing my time with this labor of love. I’m proud of the photographers who participated. I’m encouraged by the communities who embraced the project and confronted the homelessness in their streets.”
In the News…
Life through their eyes: Photo project chronicles experiences of homeless
Fairbanks Daily News Miner
Gary Black
Published: Aug 31, 2019
Virginia Gilbert’s eyes welled up as she spoke.
“I want to show people out there that people down here are real people,” she said, “and they should be loved.”
Fairbanks artist tackles homelessness in the Alaskan interior
KTVF
Ramzi Abou Ghalioum
Published: Nov. 21, 2019
Often, it is said that art is a mirror that is held up to society. However, this aphorism may be a little too prosaic for Fairbanks artist Sarah Manriquez.
Photo exhibit documents life of homeless in Fairbanks
Latitude 65
Gary Black
Published: Feb 6, 2020
In August, photographer Sarah Manriquez gave out 45 disposable cameras to vulnerable Fairbanks residents. At Stone Soup Cafe, she dispersed 33 cameras to homeless Fairbanksans.
Wandering Bear Gallery exhibits photos taken by Fairbanks’ homeless population as well as spine-tingling sculptures
KTVF
Ramzi Abou Ghalioum
Published: Feb. 10, 2020
The Fairbanks Arts Association held its second First Friday event of 2020 with artists Sarah Manriquez and Anvil Catlin Williamson exhibiting their work at FAA’s Wandering Bear Gallery.
“Often when people are disenfranchised, they don’t ever have the opportunity to tell their own story,” Manriquez explains about the project.
About the Artist
Sarah Manriquez is a photographer and filmmaker living in Fairbanks, AK. An overarching theme that ties her work together is the resilience of the human spirit. Sarah explores the concept of resilience through collaborations in documentary-style fieldwork. Many of Sarah’s works are visual anthropological studies on themes in our contemporary society whether that be homelessness in the arctic or the objectification of women. Her artwork takes a critical view of social, political, and cultural issues. These themes often confront the viewer and urge them to consider other perspectives different from their own. Much of Sarah’s documentary work renegotiates photography into a force behind education and advocacy and acts as an agent of change rather than exclusively a tool to record history. Her most recent work explores homelessness in Alaska by documenting the life of Felicia Cavanaugh, a homeless woman who lived at the Fairbanks Rescue Mission and her journey out of homelessness.