I am a 78-year-old avocational photographer. I got my first camera at the age of 4 and had my first fully equipped darkroom at 12. I received professional photography and filmaking training in New York City following military service in the 60s. Since retiring from my career job as a professor of anthropology and archaeology in 2002, I have turned much of my creative energy to my life-long hobby. I have shown my work in many group exhibitions and in a dozen solo or small-group gallery shows.

This exhibition, which I call “Downtown,” comprises a small selection of images developed from walking the streets of my hometown, Richmond, with cameras in hand, over a period of more than 40 years. These photos are not meant to be documentary or pictorial history. They are simply my attempts to show others what I see or how I see. I hope you will see in these images what I saw in them, or perhaps something different but equally interesting.

Embark on a journey through the eyes of Richmond’s youth as the Richmond Public Library proudly presents Photovoice for Positive Youth Development, a captivating part of the Youth Voices program. The Youth Voices program is a youth participatory action research project from Virginia Commonwealth University’s Healthy Communities for Youth project and Richmond Public Schools. This initiative invites high school students from Thomas Jefferson High School and Armstrong High School to engage youth in photography and critical thinking about positive youth development opportunities and challenges. Through the lens of their cameras and creative minds, students explored the dynamic landscape of their schools and communities. They capture the essence of opportunities, challenges, and strengths, painting a vivid picture of their present reality and envisioning a brighter future.
All works are presented in sets of two photos. The first photo represents their original view of their world while the second photo represents a future they would like to see for their communities. From subtle enhancements to grand transformations, these images reveal the aspirations of our youth for spaces that foster positivity, creativity, health, and wellbeing. Unlock the potential for change. See the world through their eyes.