Title: Princey Poo's first art show: memories of my childhood as told by my mother

Identifier: SOAD3757   (https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/54094)

Description: Exhibition poster by Allison L. Patton for Spring 2013 in ART4250. I am interested in my childhood because it was a period in my life that I experienced but have no memory of.  It was the most crucial stage in my development, and what I experienced then informed so much of who I am today. My mom witnessed it all and documented as much as she could through the use of her automatic camera and the collection of every coloring page, birthday card, and macaroni necklace. She couldn't have possibly photographed every moment. I decided that I wanted to create photographic evidence for events and behaviors that previously had none. I asked my mom what memories she has of my childhood, and I created photographs based on her answers. The images are poorly composed, out of focus, full of distractions and red eyes, and the pop-up flash of my camera has blown out the highlights. They have all of the ingredients of a "bad" photograph, or what I call the "parent aesthetic", and it is completely intentional. The images are placed into the context of snapshots that would be found in a family photo album. This aesthetic decision is especially important because their presentation takes them out of their original context. Images like these are usually seen in photo albums, scrapbooks, and occasionally framed without a mat. They are only viewed by family members and very close friends. By printing them large scale, matting, framing, placing them in an art museum, and inviting strangers to come view them, they are given the significance that all family photographs deserve. My mom wrote the titles. The vernacular of a mother adds a dose of reality and helps to further contextualize the images. Children live without a filter, and with no sense of what behavior is appropriate. The images are strange, playful, funny, awkward, and ridiculous, which are the words I would use to describe what childhood is like..