Helen Levitt’s New York, New York (1942) showcases a stolen moment in the life of four young girls living in New York’s Spanish Harlem. Only moments before, the girls – three black, one white – stood on the sidewalk blowing bubbles. Now they forever stare at an imposing wall in their neighborhood, the bubbles slowly drifting away.
It’s a thought-provoking and engaging photograph, one of many taken by a self-taught photographer who used surreptitious equipment to catalog the lives of those around her. Now, thanks to an online contest designed by the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery, it will elicit new conversations as the centerpiece of an upcoming exhibit in Gallery 112.
The contest is a first for Scripps College. Utilizing social media in a wholly new way, the Gallery gave patrons the ability to cast their vote for favorite piece from the college’s renowned permanent collection. Six pieces were displayed, giving fans two weeks to choose a winner. The response was impressive – by the time the contest concluded February 17, more than 118,000 people were made aware of the contest at Scripps through Facebook.
“Thanks to partnering with the social-marketing platform PromoJam, we increased our virtual audience by an astonishing 600 percent,” notes Gallery director Mary MacNaughton.
Five Williamson Gallery student interns will use Levitt’s piece as the inspiration for the theme of the exhibition. In addition, Alexa Zilberfarb, a student from the Claremont Colleges chosen at random from among those who voted, will join the interns on the curatorial committee. “Our interns help organize our shows,” explains MacNaughton, “but this time they will be taking care of all of the elements connected to creating an exhibition.”
The motivation behind Art Pix stemmed from a desire to engage students with the Scripps permanent collection, which is known for its Asian textiles, contemporary ceramics, Japanese woodblock prints, and growing collections of contemporary prints and photographs. Given the enthusiastic response, it certainly won’t be the last. Art Pix 2 is currently in the works.