Honors Student John Adair Receives Black Lives Matter Project Grant from the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art

Adair's work was selected as part of a juried competition. JSMA collaborated with the Lyllye Reynolds-Parker Black Cultural Center (BCC) to oversee the process. John describes the project he proposed as “...a photographic portrait series that would reflect the racial experiences of my family members. The project evolved into something more than I had initially expected into what I've come to call BLK&GLD. To show the racial experiences my family members experienced, I utilized the Japanese art of kintsugi after tearing the physical prints and gluing the pieces back together. This feature, combined with the confident faces of my subjects, are meant to show how they aren't weighed down by their experiences but have grown beyond them while retaining their value as human beings."

When asked how he feels about receiving this grant, John replied, “The grant means a great deal to me because I've never won or earned a significant amount of money for my photography. It shows me that I do have what it takes so long as I'm putting myself out there properly. It has also shown me the value of workshops as my applying for this grant came immediately after a 2-day grant writing workshop with Linda Vallejo, who I highly recommend by the way. It's a real honor to have been chosen for this opportunity, it has allowed me to continue to work freely on my art. I now feel more encouraged to apply for other grant opportunities to help fund personal projects; it's truly incredible just how many are out there when you really dive into it.”

JSMA and BCC will share John’s work along with projects from the other grant recipients in 2021. Learn more about John’s amazing work by visiting his website!