Photos on display Sept. 1-17 and on auction Sept. 29
St. Louis’ largest social service and health care provider, Grace Hill, has selected the top 22 photographs taken by its neighbors for its unique, empowering and inspiring event, Images of Grace.
Images of Grace introduced 13 Grace Hill families to the power of art to transform lives. Experienced photography tutors, most from Webster University, conducted workshops with the selected Grace Hill families. The students instructed neighbors to take photos that captured their lives in various categories: family to neighbors to faith, and more.
After months of work, those 13 neighbors submitted more than 3,000 pictures documenting their day-to-day lives. A committee then narrowed down those 3,000 pics to 22 and submitted the shots to the judges.
The judges have been asked to score each of the 22 photos and select their top 3. The highest-scoring 15 photos will then be live-auctioned and the top 80 photos included in a silent auction at the Images of Grace Gala, held at the Coronado Ballroom. The event is from 6:30 – 10:30 p.m. September 29 and includes a cocktail dinner, entertainment by Kim Massie and valet. Tickets are $125 per person or $1,000 Patron Level (2 tickets).
For more ticket information, call 314- 584-6908 or visit gracehill.org.
The top photos also will be displayed September 1 to 17 in the Images of Grace Gallery exhibition at Plaza Frontenac with bios of the family and the student photographer. Here are selected images from three of the featured photographers:
Mary Becton, 58, is one of Grace Hill’s most prized neighbors. A Memphis native, Mary lives in North St. Louis and came to St. Louis more than 30 years ago. After getting involved in the Grace Hill MORE Program and taking classes in the Grace Hill Neighborhood College herself, Mary now helps link neighbors to services as a Communications Center leader. Wheelchair-bound but unlimited in her enthusiasm and support for her fellow neighbors, Mary lives with two granddaughters, Jasmine and Kasey. “The girls and I really enjoy taking pictures,” she said. “I looked at my surroundings in a completely different light.”
Yolanda Rendón, 40, came to the U.S. about 10 years ago to study. She’s a homemaker and currently has her son, Luciano, enrolled at Grace Hill South Grand Head Start. She, along with her four sisters and two brothers, lives on the South Side. Yolanda was perhaps the project’s most popular photographer, with many photos in the top 20. Through a translator, Yolanda said, “I loved taking the pictures, but the kids particularly liked being the subject of my pictures. They are easy subjects.”
Mikita Williams, 13, lives on the near North Side with her mother, father, two sisters and brother. Currently, Kita is enrolled at Webster Middle School and has an incredibly creative artistic streak, writing poems and sketching. Kita and her siblings have been receiving their health care through Grace Hill. “I see my neighborhood in a different way,” she said. “You can make something come to life with pictures.”
