Pieces of Light
Six Feet Photography Project
October 1 – November 27, 2021
Allenton & Semans Galleries
Third Friday Reception, 6-8pm, Oct. 15
Also viewable by Appointment
Pieces of Light is a photography exhibition curated from the diverse perspectives of forty-seven photographers across the southeastern region of the US. During the COVID-19 pandemic, these photographers used their cameras as a tool for connecting intimately with their daily lives, the natural world, and their immediate communities. This exhibition is a phenomenal outpouring of emotional and creative responses to the pandemic and stands as a collective and commemorative visual narrative that touches both the pain and possibilities of hope, community resilience and strength. At the heart of this exhibition is a passion for courageous engagement and a celebration of the transformative and spiritual power of art and image-making.
The show opens on October 1st and runs through November 27th. 2021. Thematically curated collections of work will hang in both the Seman’s and Allenton galleries. A reception will be held on October 15th, 6-8 pm (for Third Friday Durham), with additional pop-up installations by Anna Norton and Liz Williams. A catalog of the show will be available to visitors during the reception, while supplies last.




Pieces of Light is a collaborative partnership between the Six Feet Photography Project, Tom Rankin (Professor of the Practice of Art and Director, MFA in Experimental and Documentary Arts at Duke University), and Durham Arts Council. The Pieces of Light exhibition is generously funded by the Mary Duke Biddle Foundation and Click! Photography Festival. A commemorative catalog of this exhibition was made possible through the invaluable funding provided by Duke Arts (the Office of the Vice Provost for the Arts).
About the Six Feet Photography Project:
Six Feet is a collaborative, artist-led photography project launched during the earliest days of the pandemic. What began as an invitation to intimately document and share personal experiences of isolation and distance, has grown into an international community of hundreds of photographers of all levels who gather online to encourage and support each other’s creative practice. With over 90,000 website visitors and a #lifeatsixfeet Instagram archive of over 9000 photographs from 54 countries, Six Feet is creating a visual narrative of this uncertain and extraordinary time while weaving together a supportive, healing, and remarkably creative community.
About Tom Rankin:
Tom Rankin is Professor of the Practice of Art and Documentary Studies at Duke University where he directs the MFA in Experimental and Documentary Arts. For 15 years he was director of the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke. Rankin is formerly Associate Professor of Art and Southern Studies at the University of Mississippi and Chair of the Art Department at Delta State University. He is a graduate of Tufts University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Georgia State University. As an advisor to the Six Feet photography project, Rankin helped shape the direction and impact of the project.
Photographers Featured in this Exhibition (with Instagram handle):
Aaron Canipe- @aaroncanipe
Alina Taalman – @alina.taalman
Angela Wells – @angelafrankswells
Anna Norton – @annanortonphoto
Barron Northrup- @barronorthrup
Beate Sass – @beatesassphoto
Benjamin Dimmitt – @benjamin_dimmitt_photography
Casey Lance Brown – @case_xx_
Cassandra Klos – cassandra@klos.com
Cici Cheng
Cornell Watson Jr. @cornwhizzle
Dennis Szerszen – @dszfoto
Donna Moore – @donnamoore32
Eliza Bell – @elizabellphotography
Emily MacDiarmid – @emilymacdiarmid
Emma Geiger – @emmageiger
Evan Anderson – @evan.anderson
Frances Bukovsky – @Frances_Bukovsky
Jack Sorokin – @jackflamesorokin
Jesse Barber – @j_barb
Jessica Swank – @jessicawswank
Joon Powell – @joon.powell
Juan Diego Reyes – @juandiego_reyes
Kate Auger – @katelynauger
Kate Medley – @katemedley
Kaye Savage – @savage.kaye
Lisa Howell – @lisastocktonhowell
Liz Williams – @makemesomeart
Louisa Abbot
Lydia See – @lydiasee.studio
Lynn Linnemeier – @Lynn2lynn
Marie Bongiovanni – @inmoto18
Megan Crist – @_megancrist_
Mike Belleme – @mikebelleme
Moriah Lefebvre – @moriah_lefebvre_art
Paula Siwek – @paulasiwek59
Phyllis B. Dooney – @Phyphy_dooney
Rita Kovtun – @ritakovtun
Shauna Caldwell – @shaunacaldwell
Socrates Gliarmis – @socratesgee
Sue Stigleman – @suestigleman
Susan Patrice – @susanpatrice
Tom Rankin – @tom.rankin
Titus Heagins – @titusbrooksheagins
Will Warasila – @willwarasila
Yvonne Dalschen – @yvonnedalschen
Zaire McPhearson – @zairemcphearson