she: true stories
ordinary and extraordinarY
A YWCA Hunter Region community portrait project, in partnership with Newcastle Region Library and Hunter Writers Centre. 2013-2014. Exhibition: Lovett Gallery, February-March 2014.
About
Everyone has a cherished memory or image of a woman who has made a positive impact on them, but these stories are often hidden or lost over time. The she: true stories project brought some of these stories to light and created an inspiring collective portrait of women whose courage, generosity and abilities have shaped the lives of people in our community.
She: true stories gathered a collection of photos (historical or new), and stories (500 words) that highlight significant moments from the experiences of nominators and the women who have inspired them. We sought to create a project that would have a warm personal impact on participants and viewers, to be artistically engaging, and to offer an ongoing source of connection among community members and the organizations involved.
The project took three primary forms:
Community photo and story workshops to encourage storytelling for the project held in September-November 2013, supported by NCC’s Make Your Place community grants program.
An online archive of photos and stories submitted by the public to a story and photo competition (late September-November 2013). 70+entries were evaluated by qualified judges in January and were published online on a rolling basis in October-December 2013.
A gallery exhibition at Newcastle Region Library’s Lovett Gallery from February 14-March 22, 2014. The stories and photos in the exhibition came from entries to the she: true stories competition, images commissioned to illustrate some of those stories, audio recordings of stories recorded by the authors, and photos from the YWCA Hunter Region’s 93-year history of supporting, empowering, and connecting women and families. Events during the exhibition included: an opening celebration/prize ceremony, SHE Moves—an evening of dance in honour of International Women’s Day, SHE of Newcastle—Jude Conway in conversation with Margaret Henry, and children’s events through the Library and YWCA.
Credits: Concept and Execution: Alissa Herbaly Coons and Katrina Flett Gulbrandsen; Exhibition Designer: Bronwyn Grieve assisted by Anna Bowie, Max Grieve; Graphic Designer: Rebecca Derkenne; Volunteers: members of YWCA Board of Directors; Volunteer photographers: Jo Hall, Karen Stevenson, and Sandra Ognibene.
Community support
Sponsors: Newcastle Herald provided advertising for the workshops, competition, and exhibition, as well as publishing five of the top entries to the story competition, and a colour spread of selected photos from the project.
ABC 1233 promoted the competition, workshops, and exhibition, as well as recording and broadcasting a dozen stories from the collection.
Prizes: YWCA Hunter Region, Hunter Writers Centre, Regional IT, Estabar, Newcastle Writers Festival, Simone Darcy, Oh Fleur, Tower Cinemas Newcastle/Event Cinemas Glendale, ProAM Colour Laboratories
Judges: Competition judges included representatives from the YWCA Board, Library, and Hunter Writers Centre. Jenny Baldwin, Karen Crofts, Carol Edmonds and photographer Xanthe Alys completed evaluations, selecting prizewinners and additional entries for commendation.