To Washington Park, With Love: Photography from the Summer of 1987

ROSE BLOUIN SOLO EXHIBITION

FEB 11 - MAR 19, 2022

In the summer of 1987, South Side photographer Rose Blouin visited Washington Park every weekend. Blouin initially set out to capture how important the eponymous park is to its surrounding neighborhood, but as she worked it became a study of how we interact with – or become a part of – our environment.

The resulting body of work is one of great intimacy, even amid a crowd of hundreds, and reflects Blouin’s skill to commune with others and the park. Blouin’s sharp eye has taken everyday scenes that are familiar to anyone who frequents Washington Park, and returns them to us so that we are compelled to see the park anew. These images allow us to see a conversation unfolding, about the relationship between the community of Washington Park and the land itself.

Blouin is as at home in portraiture as she is in landscapes. In her fluid mastery between the two we are able to see the power of the park to embrace the multi-dimensionality of Black life, and the very unique magic of a public space that is fully, and truly, embraced as ours.

In line with Arts + Public Life’s (APL) values and mission, this exhibition was co-curated between the artist and APL staff Nootan Bharani, Isis Ferguson, Gabe Moreno, and Kate Schlachter.