Bill McLaughlin

 Face to Face: Portraits from the Precipice

“There is one thing the photograph must contain, the humanity of the moment”. - Robert Frank

“Face to Face: Portraits from the Precipice” seeks to explore and acknowledge the diversity and richness of our upstate community through portraiture. It is also a subtle reminder that as the voices of hatred and intolerance seek to divide us, that as a community, we share much more that unites us than separates us.

We are increasingly exposed to repetitive cycles of political outrage and retribution. We are reminded daily that we are a deeply divided nation poised for confrontation, immersed in myopic tribal thinking.

Tragically, much of that is true, as evidenced by the rise of political violence and the undermining of our most basic democratic norms. We are standing at a precipice. How we will proceed is uncertain.

Now is the time to reaffirm our commonality and our shared values as a rural community. Face to Face: Portraits from the Precipice offers one small way in which we can remind ourselves that when we talk about “those others”, we are talking about our neighbors, our friends and the people we interact with daily.

It's been said that every portrait is also a self-portrait. And so hopefully it is also true that in viewing these photographs we will see ourselves in each of these faces, and in doing so, recognize our shared humanity.

As the forces that seek to divide us racially, politically and economically intensify, it is my hope that this exhibit will help foster tolerance rather than division; understanding rather than exclusion.  

Please check back to see additional portraits and the schedule for upcoming exhibits. Or better yet, sign up for my newsletter!

Thank you for your interest and support.

-bill mclaughlin

“This project is made possible with public funds from the Statewide Community Regrants Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, and administered by The Earlville Opera House “