fandomhigh | Art, Thursday, Period Three

Today, the art classroom was pretty bare bones, just multiple 35mm cameras on the table, one for each student.

"Sup class," Hardison said when they came in. "Today, the artist we're learnin' about is Moneta Sleet Jr, the first African American to win a Pulitzer prize for journalism, based on his picture of Coretta Scott King and her daughter, Bernice King, at the funeral of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, after he was assassinated." He handed around copies of that picture so they could see it. "This wasn't the first time Sleet had worked with the Kings; he was originally sent to Alabama to cover the boycotts in 1955, at the start of what would become the Civil Rights Movement. He was unapologetic about his bias for the movement, too, sayin' 'I wasn't there as an objective reporter. I had something to say and was trying to show one side of it. We didn't have any problems finding the other side.' He photographed many of the civil rights leaders, a lot of the black heads of state from Africa, an' black celebrities like Mohammed Ali, Haile Selassie, Stevie Wonder, Jomo Kenyatta, an' Billie Holiday. An exhibition of his work in '86 also included a photo of a Florida coin-op laundry with a sign that said Especially for colored folk as a reminder of the livin' history of this country."

So many people forgot that the Civil Rights Movement had happened just a generation or so ago. Most of those people were still alive and active today, including Hardison's own Nana.

"Photography is just as much a visual art as paintin' an' sculptin'. Your homework for today an' the rest of the week is to take one of them cameras an' take pictures. As many pictures as you want--I got extra film I can hand out if you want it--but at least least one whole roll of film. So that's about 36 pictures, an' I want at least fifteen of 'em to substantially different from each other, a'ight?"

Hardison had no problems with taking a bunch of shots to get the best one, but he did want them to work on taking a range of pictures.

"Next week, we'll learn how to develop them in a dark room. Until then, grab your camera an' go."

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Black and White!

What with all this important historical lecturing!

Head off and get a jump on your picture taking!

...Or just wander off back to the dorms. It's not like he knows what you're up to.

But he's trusting you to come back with at least fifteen usable shots next week!

He's willing give impromptu explanations for how to load and change the film and how to use the camera if needed.

~~but I don't know how to do these things and also am dying so explanations will be handwaved~~

me, af

Gratuity Tucci

Tip was once again taking notes, though she was a little distracted eyeballing the cameras and planning what sorts of things she'd take pictures of.

She knew this medium. Maybe not the developing and all that -- she'd grown up with a poloroid -- but she was more than familiar with looking at the world through a lens. She had a whole album back home of pictures from the Boov invasion to prove it.

She was going to have a ball with this assignment.

Tip grabbed a camera and three extra rolls of film.

Then she came back and grabbed two more besides.

Hardison was maybe going to regret offering them free reign with regards to film.

"I have a question," Tip said, as her fellow students ~~presumably~~ headed out. "Does it seem too much like sucking up if I ask to get a picture of you, first?"

She was thinking of maybe doing at least a small series on all the black people on the island, and Hardison was right there.

~~So glad this came in right before I went down for my nap!~~

"Nah," Hardison said, looking around for a decent backdrop. "You don't really seem like the suckin' up type. But I'm curious to hear why you want one now."

Tip shrugged. "Because you're right here, now, and you want the photos to be done by next week," she said. "Plus, you know, this is your environment. At least from my perspective as a student." She smiled. "I want to get shots of the black people on the island, since there's not a lot of us. If you'd rather we do it somewhere else later, that's okay too."

Peridot

Cameras! Like the one on her Phone! Peridot knew how to do this!

Sure, it was going to be a lot of different photos of Pumpkin, all featuring some portion of a little green finger, but it was going to be the thought that counted, right?

Omg her leg at the end, tho.

"Ta-daaaa!"

Eric Bittle

Summer Smith

Summer was feeling pretty confident about this one. After all, she had a pretty healthy Instagram....

That is the most me part.

"Nah, nah, I don't mind at all," he assured her, rolling up his sleeves. "It'll be interestin', gettin' a shot of me as a teacher."

It wasn't how he thought of himself, still. Felt weird to have someone taking a picture to represent him without a laptop at hand.

"I look appropriately scholarly?"

"Sure," Tip said, tilting her head. "You look very artsy, too, which is arguably more important for an art teacher."

"Fair enough," Hardison said, a little tickled by all of this. "So, how many black folks are there on this island now?"

Him, Tip, Zoe...?

"Let's see, you, me, Uma, Breq, the principal. . . ." Tip trailed off. She really wished this wasn't so hard a list to compile. "Um, I think I've seen someone in town a few times?"

"Yo, I clearly gotta get out more," Hardison said, shaking his head. "I don't know, like, half them names. Still, more folks than I thought, so that's pretty cool."

A little more diversity never hurt anyone. Except racists, but who cared about them?

"So what's your plan for photoshoots? Anythin' specific? Anythin' you're gonna focus on?" You know, other than being black.

"Haven't really thought it through that far," Tip admitted. "But, like. Maybe showing off the range of skills and styles we all have? Breq's really stoic and you're all expressive. Uma's a pirate."

"A pirate, huh?" Hardison asked, eyebrows up. "But, yo, I like that. Remind folks that we're not a monolith an' more than just what we normally get portrayed as."

Art, Thursday, Period Three

Sign In 6

Listen to the Lecture

Take Pictures

Talk to Hardison

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