Pictures in the Sky by Emily Barth
Between August and November, while walking down the streets of downtown Minneapolis on my way to Target somethig caught my eye. It was an extraordinarily unique exhibit displayed in the IDS Skyway near Macy's, a Project by Nancy Ann Coyne. The exhibition consisted of floor to ceiling photographs of people who have moved or immigrated to Minneapolis for various reasons ranging from personal safety to the search for a new life.
Coyne collaberated with 23 different people for her project. The main theme was "home" and what it meant for these people to be living in Minneapolis and how they adapted to the change. Speaking of Home, the exhibition's name, addressed to the public what it meant for people to feel a sense of belonging. Above each picture was the word Home in the native language of the people pictured. And through the way it was presented, even if people did not get the privilage of strolling through the skyway it was also visible from the street due to the transparent nature of each photograph.
I cannot pick one specific work because I feel every picture was meant to be part of the whole. That is why it was set up in a confined space where the viewer could feel surrounded by these people and open their eyes to the fact that in recent years around 90,000 immigrants have settled in Minnesota due to war, personal danger, poverty, and the promise of a new start on life.
I would recommed this show to anyone who appriciates human life and the pursuit of happiness. Although it is no longer hanging in the IDS / Macy's skyway everyone should take the chance to look up the artist Nancy Ann Coyne and her Speaking of Home exhibiton on the internet. It was truely a unique way to see different people of different cultures up close and portrayed as nothing but themselves, just a raw portrait hung in the window for everyone to see.