糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock to Host Donaghey Scholar鈥檚 Photo Exhibition May 20
Gracelyn Johnson, a graduating student and budding photographer, will be finishing up her 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock education with a photography exhibition.
鈥淚 am so glad I got to take all the great photography classes at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淚 love photography and have wanted to be a photographer since high school.鈥�
Johnson is graduating this May with a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Arts degree and a Certificate of Proficiency in Photography. The exhibition, which is free and open to the public, will serve as Johnson鈥檚 capstone project for the Donaghey Scholars Honors Program.
鈥淭he Donaghey Scholars Honors Program taught me a lot about choosing your priorities and learning to be a leader,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e put in a lot of work to be the best versions of ourselves. I went to Florence, Italy, and took an Intro to Travel Photography course. It was amazing, and I now have a lot of photos that are very beautiful that I wouldn鈥檛 have been able to take anywhere else.鈥�
Johnson鈥檚 capstone exhibition, 鈥淔ragmented Memories: The Lingering Effects of Sexual Trauma,鈥� will feature 13 photographs and will be on display from May 20 to June 14 in the Focus Gallery in the Windgate Center of Art and Design at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock.
This exhibition deals with the trauma of sexual assault and its devastating long-lasting impacts. It serves not only as a way to raise awareness for the often-overlooked problem of mental health for sexual assault survivors and the complexities of sexual trauma, but also for the healing journey that follows trauma.
鈥淚 want my exhibition to bring attention to the complexities of an abusive relationship,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淚 want people to understand the lasting effects it can leave on a person that are often unseen. I want to open up conversations about how little abusive relationships are talked about, especially the long-term physical and mental effects that it can take on a person.鈥�
Johnson said the exhibition, which she has been working on for the past year, has been of immense help in her healing journey.
鈥淲hen I first started this project, I was barely able to accept what happened to me, and now I am able to show other people what happened and talk about it openly,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his is a huge step for me as an artist. I don鈥檛 think this would have happened if I didn鈥檛 have an artistic outlet.鈥�