Dear DPI Community,
As a photographer, it has been difficult to not photograph the havoc COVID-19 has wreaked, particularly and most on that which is most precious, our human body; however, as a writer, teacher, and curator whose works explore how the female body — dressed and undressed — is the actual evidence, the living narrative of its migrations and what is at stake therein, it has been apropos for me to look back at my images and written work that explore pain, loss, and joy in the midst of commensurate adversity. And it has been 67 days since I last left my apartment when the “shelter-in-place” plan was initiated by the Governor of New York and Mayor of New York City.
In these days I have lost five dear friends to the coronavirus all artists and writers who reframed visual narratives about race and gender in the arts. In these days I pick up my camera every night at 7pm to photograph from my balcony my neighbors making “noise,” sounding the alerts, reminding all of us to recognize and acknowledge the health care workers and other essential workers who are risking their own lives to protect and care for us against this unknown 'reaper.' And several times on every one of these 67 days I think about my 98-year old mother, Ruth, and my 15-month-old granddaughter, Zenzele Ruth, and how they both, in different ways, change dramatically from one day to the next and how vulnerable this makes me feel, as we are in three different “shelter-in-places.” And precisely because of these two female bodies I am led to women migrants in different parts of the world, led to imagining their experiences at the borders, crossing to and crossing from, no “shelter-in-place,” and wonder how they are protecting themselves and their families.
I am also thinking a lot about my DPI community and wonder about the ways you are managing, and how you will be framing narratives about this experience. I hope that you are safe and well as we finished out our final weeks of zoom classes, critiques, and lectures. In this unprecedented time in our lives, I especially express my congratulations to the Class of 2020 as they prepare for their next journey and extend a warm welcome to the Class of 2024.
As storytellers, I know that all of our students are thinking about this experience as you spend time with friends and family members; some are alone in dorms or your apartments; but all of you are considering this moment in profound ways. I follow you on Instagram and the amazing images you are making in homes and of the environments you are living in. I thank you for continuing to ‘speak’ about this time and reflect in different ways. This pandemic has uprooted us as we try to make sense of our world. We ask questions about health care, politics, and cultural traditions; we wonder about refugee people; we think about how to mourn privately and publicly while looking at news accounts each day as we focus on collaborative cooking and new ways to spend time making art to memorialize this moment. I look forward to hearing from you and seeing you in the Fall. We need your insights and voices to continue to build and reimagine art and community beyond this global pandemic. I hope this time will soon pass and help us move forward with compassion as we walk safely through our communities wearing our masks.
My best to all of you,
Deborah Willis, PhD
University Professor and Chair