‘Now It’s My Turn Pt. II’ gathers community for a cause under shared interest of photography
Courtesy of Maram Ahmed
Chelsea Reeves stands in front of her work at her second gallery. More than 80 Syracuse community members attended the event to see her work, titled “Now It’s My Turn Part II.”
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In photographer Chelsea Reeves’ art gallery, a white basketball enshrined in a clear display case symbolized the popular saying, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” White floral garlands embellished the artwork’s platform. With this piece, Reeves hopes to inspire people to give themselves their own flowers.
“There are many people who say they aspire to do something, there are few people who actually do it. I wanted to show the importance of creating our own opportunities for ourselves and not waiting for it to happen to us,” Reeves said to the crowd at the gallery.
On Sunday, Reeves organized and hosted her second art gallery, “Now It’s My Turn Part II,” in Syracuse University’s Shaffer Art Building. Over 80 Syracuse community members visited her gallery highlighting SU’s basketball teams, her time at CultureCon, her time spent in New York City and Syracuse events including this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. celebration and Pheelz and Leon Thomas III’s performance in Goldstein Auditorium.
“I loved how the gallery brought students from different walks of campus together under the common interest in photography. The audience was super engaged and clearly admired the variation in the art selection,” said Adam Baltaxe, one of the gallery’s organizers.
Last year in Shaffer, Reeves hosted her first gallery, “Now It’s My Turn,” which featured images of student models and different campus events. SU alumna and artist Adore Ellis, known for her work at Levi Strauss & Co., spray-painted shirts that were distributed to attendees.
This year, with the hopes of bringing the Syracuse community together to engage in philanthropy, Reeves partnered with Save A Child’s Heart (SACH) foundation, a new organization on SU’s campus. SACH has provided life-saving treatment to more than 6,600 children worldwide, particularly from regions like the Palestinian Authority, Gaza, Iraq, Morocco and Africa.
“The highlight of my experience was the incredible support from the Black community,” said SACH founder Ryann Washington. “It was amazing to see everyone come together to support (Reeves) and contribute to a great cause.”
Washington is a junior majoring in biology and forensic science. After spending time with children and witnessing SACH’s life-changing work during a visit to the organization’s base in Tel Aviv, Israel, Washington said she and a group of friends wanted to raise awareness and funds when they returned to campus.
Gallery attendees placed bids starting at $15 for some of Reeves’ work up for auction. Fifteen percent of all proceeds will be donated to SACH. Senior and fellow organizer Maram Ahmed said the gallery was much bigger than she expected. She said the highlight of her experience was pulling back the tape to reveal the finished look of the gallery sign and seeing everyone show love to her work.
“Getting to see the variety of images that Reeves captured, she has a special way of seeing the world and I felt that through her work,” senior Sonia Issa said.
Disclaimer: Chelsea Reeves is a contributing photographer for The Daily Orange. She did not influence the editorial content of this story.
Published on April 23, 2024 at 10:40 am
