Photography exhibit shows the radically ordinary life of a ‘Little Black Boy’

The exhibition “Little Black Boy” enters its closing weeks at Heartland Group College’s Joe McCauley Gallery, showcasing black and white photography by Bloomington-Typical indigenous Rashod Taylor.

Taylor turned interested in photography at a younger age, seeking at his parent’s picture albums and additional formally doing the job on Regular Community High School’s newspaper and yearbook teams. He examined good art pictures at Murray Condition College in Kentucky and ultimately wound up back in the Twin Towns. Taylor now lives in Springfield, Mo.

“There’s not a large amount of workers work out there,” he claimed. “The coined time period ‘the starving artist’ — that was definitely me. I did have a great encounter in New York with an internship at Essence Magazine.”

Taylor’s exhibition at HCC is the first solo exhibit to acquire spot in his hometown. Hanging at Joe McCauley Gallery by way of Might 13, “Little Black Boy” is a collection of visuals of Taylor’s son, LJ. Approximately all of the pictures ended up taken in central Illinois.

“He’s our only son. I settled on him (as a issue) for the reason that I was doing it anyway,” Taylor reported.

LJ, now 6, was born a several yrs just after community interest escalated about the killing of youthful Black adult men at the arms of police — Tamir Rice, Trayvon Martin and Laquan McDonald, to title a handful of.

“I wished to make these extra than just my have individual family members snapshots and have a even bigger vision with the works,” Taylor reported. “I wished to document my son and present the correlation and link that a little Black boy has with his father, his mother, his spouse and children, and to give that a even bigger voice. People today can see that view by means of my spouse and children, but can (also) see the wider watch of the Black American expertise.”

That Taylor’s lens is particularly area to central Illinois, frequently perceived as rural, white, and cornfed, is special. It’s also all he is aware.

“I haven’t experienced many troubles with regulation enforcement,” claimed Taylor. “I just know a good deal of mates and family members that have. And then you glimpse at the broader constructs of the United States, and it’s occurring everywhere you go. I get that as inspiration.”

Nevertheless the times captured in “Little Black Boy” are decidedly everyday. On black and white film, applying a large format camera, Taylor depicts common, personal times from most children’s lives: bathing, enjoying outside, or snuggling in a blanket.

“I like simplicity,” Taylor claimed. “You photograph what you’re passionate about and what you like. That is my loved ones. Some of people common illustrations or photos are not noticed more than enough in society and media. You just really do not see that of Black youngsters and parents — that tenderness, that enjoy. It is often been there. It’s just not observed.”

“Little Black Boy” runs as a result of May 13 in the Joe McCauley Gallery at Heartland Community College or university. The gallery is free of charge and open to the general public whenever the campus is open.