STCC gallery to feature work by photographer and surfer for Black History Month
Visit the Carberry Gallery in February for an exhibition of photos featured as part of Black History Month.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Amy H. Carberry Fine Arts Gallery at Springfield Technical Community College will present the never-before-seen exhibition “I Just Wanna Surf” by California photographer Gabriella Angotti-Jones throughout February in celebration of Black History Month.
The Gallery is open:
- Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Throughout this immersive exhibition of text, images and home videos, Angotti-Jones, who grew up in one of the only mixed-race Black families in a small Orange County beach town, reflects on how her early relationship with the ocean and Californian surf culture became intertwined with her identity as a Black woman.
Surfing photos are on display at the Carbery Gallery in February 2023.
Her work challenges the traditional surfing narrative by documenting Black women and non-binary surfers living the surfing lifestyle inspired by 1990s and early 2000s surf culture.
“I wish I had someone to guide me through the intricacies of this parallel world,” Angotti-Jones states on the walls of the gallery.
Through text and images, Angotti-Jones captures the friction of finding one’s identity and community during the pandemic and post-George Floyd era in a sport dominated by white men.
Her recent book of the same title, “I Just Wanna Surf,” published by Mass Books in October 2022, was shortlisted for the Aperture Paris Book Award and received rave reviews on CNN, Vogue, Los Angeles Times, Photodok, Jörg Colberg Review, Redbull and Dazed.
With 19 photographs on display at STCC, printed locally by Jim Gipe of Pivot Media, and text from the book affixed to the walls, Angotti-Jones juxtaposes the joy of friendship and the refuge found in the ocean’s wilderness with the underlying racial tensions at the core of the Black American experience.
“I remember standing up on a board for the very first time when I was little. I remember feeling a woosh. I stood up. It felt like I was sliding. It was a very small wave. The person who pushed me into the wave was cheering. I want to get good at this. I want to be on a shortboard. I wanna rip!!” Angotti-Jones writes.
With sensitivity and vulnerability, her text and images explore her experience with depression and the sense of peace brought by riding waves. “I Just Wanna Surf” is a joyous, raw, complex and unique expansion of the visual history of the Black American experience and its place in a rapidly changing American surf community.
Gabriella Angotti-Jones is a freelance documentary photographer based in Los Angeles. One of Artsy’s “emerging photojournalists to watch,” Angotti-Jones uses her editorial background to inform her imagery, focusing on found light, intimate storytelling moments and graphic compositions.
Her documentary work focuses on the intersection of race, identity, and environmental justice. She was previously a staff photographer at the Los Angeles Times and has worked at papers across the country, including the San Francisco Chronicle, Tampa Bay Times, Las Vegas Review-Journal and The New York Times. https://gabriellaangojo.rocks
This exhibition was designed by gallery coordinator and associate professor Sondra Peron, with curatorial assistance from gallery work-study STCC students, Eddie Diaz, Enaya Ogletree and D’Khari Smith.
The exhibition and associated events are supported in part by the School of Liberal and Professional Studies (LAPS) and the Fine Arts (A.A.) program.
Open Monday-Saturday, the Amy H. Carberry Fine Arts Gallery has announced expanded hours. The gallery is now open on Mondays, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and extends into the evening on Wednesday when it's open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information about the Carberry Gallery at STCC, visit stcc.edu/campus-life/arts-culture/amyhcarberrygallery.
About the Gallery
The Amy H. Carberry Fine Arts Gallery at Springfield Technical Community College features works by artists of local and national repute as well as STCC student work. The gallery is located in Building 28, the first floor, on the Pearl Street side of the STCC campus. The gallery is supported in part by funding from the School of Liberal and Professional Studies. Find the Amy H. Carberry Fine Arts Gallery on Facebook or follow on Twitter @STCCArtGallery.
About Springfield Technical Community College
STCC, the Commonwealth's only technical community college, continues the pioneering legacy of the Springfield Armory with comprehensive and technical education in manufacturing, STEM, healthcare, business, social services, and the liberal arts. STCC's highly regarded workforce, certificate, degree, and transfer programs are the most affordable in Springfield and provide unequaled opportunity for the vitality of Western Massachusetts. Founded in 1967, the college – a designated Hispanic Serving Institution – seeks to close achievement gaps among students who traditionally face societal barriers. STCC supports students as they transform their lives through intellectual, cultural, and economic engagement while becoming thoughtful, committed and socially responsible graduates.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Jim Danko, (413) 755-4812, jdanko@stcc.edu