Between October 1st and 4th last fall, multi-media artist Xaviera Simmons offered free photographic portraits to community members on the grounds of the Fulton and Elliott-Chelsea Houses in collaboration with More Art and Hudson Guild. All residents were invited to sit for a free of charge portrait. Simmons constructed open-air studios and photographed her subjects with a large format film camera. Participants were asked to bring personal items with which they may have wanted to be photographed (i.e family photographs, special clothing, personal ephemera, etc.). Simmons worked with the subjects to create photographic narratives based on their personal memories, supplemented by these items. The artist personally develops and prints each work and sends a chosen image via mail post to each participant. This body of work is a continuation of Simmons’ practice of producing outdoor photographic studios and offering hand printed portraits, free of charge. This project is equal parts classic photographic portraiture studio and performance art.
