RI Center

For Photographic Arts

ANNYE RAYE PITTS: WITNESS

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ANNYE RAYE PITTS: WITNESS

A Collaborative Installation by Mary Beth Meehan & Jonathan Pitts-Wiley

 

Annye Raye Pitts: Witness is an ongoing collaboration between photographer Mary Beth Meehan and Jonathan Pitts-Wiley, artist and educator and the grandson of Mrs. Annye Raye Pitts. The project seeks to document, interpret, and share Mrs. Pitts’s vast archive, which documents the journey of a daughter of the Great Migration.  
 
Exhibited at the WaterFire Arts Center in 2021 and featured in the Boston Globe, “Annye Raye Pitts: Witness” is an over seven decade chronicle of American life through the eyes of a community activist, educator, and singer, who, in 1959, left the oppression of her hometown of Montgomery Alabama to seek freedom and opportunity for herself and her children in Providence, Rhode Island. Her archive bears witness to the racism that constricts the lives of Black people, while also documenting and celebrating the magnificence of her Black brothers and sisters worldwide.
 
At the time of her passing, Annye Raye Pitts’s archive included more than a thousand newspaper clippings, books, recordings, photographs, letters, and writings that recorded her thoughts over time. There were also more than a hundred church hats, along with dress shoes, purses, and suits that she wore on her journey through this world.
 
By using photography, writing, and mixed media to interpret these belongings, Meehan and Pitts-Wiley’s work brings to life in visual form the views of a proud Black woman who both embraced and challenged the notion of the American dream. 
 
 
[Show thumbnails]

Schedule*

Gallery Exhibition:  September 16th – October 15th
Gallery Hours:  Thursdays & Fridays & Saturdays Noon – 6:00pm. 
Gallery Visits: By Chance or Appointment, email gallery@riphotocenter.org
Reception*: September 16th, 2020 5:00 – 8:00 p.m.

*subject to current capacity restrictions, masks required


Click to take an virtual walk through this installation by Mary Beth Meehan & Jonathan Pitts-Wiley

 

The RI Center for Photographic Arts, RICPA 118 N. Main St. Providence, RI 02903
Located in the heart of Providence, RICPA was founded to inspire creative development and provide opportunities to engage with the community through exhibitions, education, publication, and mutual support.

RICPA exists to create a diverse and supportive community for individuals interested in learning or working in the Photographic Arts. We strive to provide an environment conducive to the free exchange of ideas in an open and cooperative space. Members should share a passion for creating, appreciating, or learning about all forms of photo-based media. We work to provide a platform for artistic expression, that fosters dialogue and drives innovation in the photographic arts.

The Gallery at the Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts is a member of Gallery Night Providence https://www.gallerynight.org/

Want to become a RICPA Member? Membership brings many benefits and discounts, for more information and to find the membership level that fits you, visit our website at https://www.riphotocenter.org/membership-info/ You may become a member at entry, member benefits begin immediately and run 365 days from your start date.

Questions: Contact gallery@riphotocenter.org  To learn about other RICPA exhibits and programs, visit https://www.riphotocenter.org/.

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