Tamar Hendel Gallery

 Join us for the opening reception of “Porch Portraits,” a solo photography exhibition by Chris Barclay in the Tamar Hendel Gallery on Saturday, October 14 through November 18, 2023. An Opening Reception will be on Saturday, October 14, from 12 – 2 pm. An ArTALK is scheduled for Thursday, October 26, from 6-7:30 pm.

Go to learn more about Chris Barclay on their website: www.ChrisBarclayPhoto.com Instagram: @abukari61

BIOGRAPHY

“I was born in Cleveland, OH and photographs were always an important thing for my family.  When I was a kid my Dad bought my mother a 35mm camera.  She never used it.  After a while, I begged her to allow me to take the camera to school so I could take pictures.  I had no idea what I was doing.  I just knew I wanted to have pictures of my friends.  Most of the pictures that I took that first time were out of focus or not exposed correctly.  But there was one picture that was in focus and well exposed and I had the bug.  I fell in love with the way I felt when I took pictures that captured the moment.  As a teenager, I wanted to know that I was seen and I wanted to document what was happening around me.  In high school, I got a job taking “Athlete of the Week” pictures for the local newspaper. In college, I was lucky enough to take photojournalism classes from John H. White, a Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer from the Chicago Sun-Times.  Those classes exposed me to the power of photography as a tool for healing and change.  I also learned that how I saw the world was valid.  My photo journey has been documenting the world around me and taking photos of family and friends. ” -Chris Barclay

STATEMENT

The Porch Portraits project started as a moment of gratitude for my neighbors in Takoma Park. In the summer of 2020, I noticed so many kind acts from the people in my neighborhood.  Many of us were struggling and alone.  Folks in the neighborhood where I lived were checking on each other, sharing, and actively supporting each other through what was such a difficult and uncertain time.  I was looking for a way to use my photography as a tool to give back.  I decided to send the word out on our community list-serve that I would do a 30-minute portrait session with families for free.  The one condition was that folks had to be willing to have the photos exhibited in the future.  I expanded the project beyond my local neighborhood and definitely didn’t expect it would be three years before the photos were shown.