Arts and Culture

Student Photographer Shines Light on Faces of Debt

Published

9 years ago

April 2, 2015

Struggling to find work in 2012 amid the fallout from the recession, photographer Brittany Powell declared bankruptcy to relieve herself of the credit card debt she had accumulated just trying to make ends meet — and then found the idea for her next project.

“When I filed for bankruptcy, it had followed such a stressful time that it got me thinking about debt and the role it plays on our lives,” she said. “It was a huge relief that it was gone, but conceptually, debt is a weird thing. It’s abstract in form, but can weigh very heavily on a person, and I became interested in exploring that in my art.”

Since launching The Debt Project in 2012, Powell, an MFA student at SF State University, has photographed 50 individuals, interviewed them and invited them to share their debt stories on handwritten notes.

She hopes to illuminate the role that this invisible but powerful force can play in the lives of everyday people and reframe how society perceives it. Her goal is to eventually have 99 subjects — including herself — and she is using the photos and stories as the basis for her thesis project.

The inspiration to use photography to highlight debt came from medieval Flemish portrait paintings, in which the subjects were depicted surrounded by personal possessions. “In the middle ages, everyone got painted in this way,” Powell said. “I’ve always been interested in photography as a social documentary, so it seemed like a good medium for this topic.”

Michelle Manis, a housekeeper and artist who wrote that she is $35,000 in debt, is one of 50 individuals photographed so far by Brittany Powell as part of The Debt Project. Photo by Brittany Powell.

The portraits are formal, showing the subjects in their everyday environment: seated on a couch or chair in their living room, surrounded by books, pictures, art and other items. The somber looks on their faces tell the deeper story, as do the notes. “$450,000,” writes a musician, “Bad mortgage, job loss in 2005.”

Another accumulated $30,000 in debt buying “everyday life stuff” while working for a startup that paid him very little. “The business went under, the recession hit, I moved, couldn’t find a good job, and I’ve been under ever since.”

Together, the portraits and notes tell the stories of ordinary people living with an all-too-common burden.

“I’ve had random people email me to say how important it was for them to see the project and know they’re not alone, that it’s a problem everyone experiences,” Powell said. “We have this view of debt as being something to be ashamed of, but it’s so culturally enforced.”

Powell, who will graduate this spring and hopes to continue working as a professional photographer as well as teach, said The Debt Project has not only helped her be a better photographer, it also has allowed her to use her skills to explore an issue that has become personally important to her.

“My goal as a photographer is not to make a ton of money. It’s always been to make art that precipitates social change and addresses issues around community,” she said. “This project has definitely been fulfilling in that way.”

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

Antioch School Officials Agree to Collaboration to Address Civil Rights Complaint

Don't Miss

SCHOOL BUZZ: Guidelines To Prosperity

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Arts and Culture

Richmond Preps for Full Weekend of Cinco de Mayo Festivities

Cinco de Mayo festivities in Richmond and San Pablo are some of the bests in Bay, and organizers say that tradition will be alive and well at this weekend’s annual parade and festival. The action kicks off Saturday, May 4, with the 16th Annual Cinco de Mayo Richmond/San Pablo Peace & Unity Parade. The parade of floats, performances, and community organizations starts at 10 a.m. at 24th Street and Barrett Avenue and Richmond and ends at 12:30 p.m. at St. Paul’s Church, 1845 Church Lane in San Pablo.

Published

2 days ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Scene from the 2023 Cinco de Mayo parade from Richmond to San Pablo. Photo courtesy The Richmond Standard.

By Mike Kinney

The Richmond Standard

Cinco de Mayo festivities in Richmond and San Pablo are some of the bests in Bay, and organizers say that tradition will be alive and well at this weekend’s annual parade and festival.

The action kicks off Saturday, May 4, with the 16th Annual Cinco de Mayo Richmond/San Pablo Peace & Unity Parade. The parade of floats, performances, and community organizations starts at 10 a.m. at 24th Street and Barrett Avenue and Richmond and ends at 12:30 p.m. at St. Paul’s Church, 1845 Church Lane in San Pablo.

The parade’s Grand Marshall this year will be community organizer Diego Garcia, owner of Leftside Printing.

The festivities continue Sunday with the Cinco de Mayo Festival along 23rd Street, which last year drew over 100,000 people, according to the 23rd Street Merchants Association. This year’s festival will again run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. between the intersections of Rheem Avenue and Clinton Avenue. It will feature two entertainment stages, one sponsored by La Raza 93.3 FM at 23rd and Rheem, and another sponsored by Radio Lazer FM at 23rd and Clinton.

Both events are important for the city and the region’s Latino community.

San Pablo Mayor Genoveva Calloway, who co-chairs the parade alongside John Marquez, president of the Contra Costa Community College District Board of Trustees, says Saturday’s festivities are about bringing the Richmond and San Pablo communities together in unity.

“This truly connects the spectators and people in the parade as one,” Calloway said. “The parade showcases the real communities of Richmond and San Pablo – our nonprofits, schools, horse riders, classic cars and trucks, our local businesses. All of these people represent the heartbeat of our community.”

Rigo Mendoza, vice president of the 23rd Street Merchants Association, said that at its heart, Richmond’s Cinco de Mayo Festival celebrates the date the Mexican army’s victory over France at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

But John Marquez started up the popular festival to bring the community together and also to exhibit the community’s businesses and culture to visitors, Mendoza said. The gathering was also a way to promote peace in the community.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Art

Mario Van Peebles’ ‘Outlaw Posse’ Screened at Oakland’s Grand Lake Theatre

Published

2 days ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Film director Mario Van Peebles, who also stars in “Outlaw Posse,” appeared at a press conference held at RBA Creative on MacArthur Boulevard hosted by the Oakland International Film Festival. Photo By Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Oakland International Film Festival hosted a screening of “Outlaw Posse” at the Grand Lake Theatre on Monday. Special guests included director/actor Mario Van Peebles and his co-star, Oakland native Scytorya Rhodes. The film is Peebles’ second western, the first being ‘Posse,’ 13 years ago. Filmmaker Van Peebles shared his passion for independent artistry and producing projects with his son, Mandela, who also starred in the film, along with Whoopi Goldberg and Cedric the Entertainer. Next week, The Post will publish an in-depth interview featuring Peebles’ reflections on his work, future projects, and continuing his father’s legacy and Rhodes on her grandfather, a real-life cowboy.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Arts and Culture

Kedrick Armstrong: New Music Director for the Oakland Symphony

The Oakland Symphony Announced Kedrick Armstrong as its Next Music Director. In addition to conducting the orchestra’s public concerts, Armstrong will also actively participate in the Oakland Symphony’s many education and community engagement programs, designed to inspire a love of music in people of all ages.

Published

2 weeks ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

Kedrick Armstrong is the new music director for the Oakland Symphony. Photo credit Scott Chernis.

By Post Staff

The Oakland Symphony Announced Kedrick Armstrong as its Next Music Director.
In addition to conducting the orchestra’s public concerts, Armstrong will also actively participate in the Oakland Symphony’s many education and community engagement programs, designed to inspire a love of music in people of all ages.

Armstrong is the successor to previous music director and Conductor Michael Morgan, who passed away in 2021 after a 30-year tenure at the Symphony.

Armstrong will open the Oakland Symphony 2024-2025 season on October 18.

Armstrong, who is 29 and hails from Georgetown, South Carolina, is currently the creative partner and principal conductor of the Knox-Galesburg Symphony.

The Chicago Tribune has praised Armstrong for his ability to “simply let the score speak for itself.” He enjoys a wide range of repertoire, spanning early music to premiering new works, using his joy and curiosity for all music to cultivate understanding and collaboration within diverse communities.
“I am deeply honored and grateful for the opportunity to serve as the new music director of the Oakland Symphony,” Armstrong said. “As a Black conductor, I find it humbling to stand on the shoulders of both Michael Morgan and Calvin Simmons,” the most recent and the first African American music directors of the Symphony, respectively.

Armstrong led three programs at the Symphony between 2022 and early 2024, which showcased his broad knowledge of the classical repertoire and enthusiasm for spotlighting diverse voices.
On his Oakland Symphony subscription debut on Feb. 16, Armstrong led the world premiere of “Here I Stand: Paul Robeson,” an oratorio by Carlos Simon on a libretto by Dan Harder, commissioned by the Oakland Symphony.

Armstrong was selected unanimously by the Oakland Symphony’s board of directors and musicians after an extensive two-year search. “The search committee was overwhelmed by Kedrick’s scholarship and curiosity about all kinds of music, from classical and jazz to gospel and hip-hop,” said. Dr. Mieko Hatano, executive director of the Oakland Symphony. “We are thrilled to have him join us at the Oakland Symphony.”