Artist/Photographer Ashley Kolodner wants to paint a picture of diversity across the United States. Her GAYFACE: 1st Class – 1st Edition Portrait Book plans to give the LGBTQ Community a platform to express their voices and truths. As she explains, “I want to show the many faces of this community, the diversity and the strength it takes to be who they are each day.”
GAYFACE started as a personal project a couple of years ago and increasingly gained recognition and momentum. With people reaching out wanting to be part of the portrait book project, Ashley was inspired to pursue her dream on a bigger scale. The end-goal is spreading recognition and giving back to the community. “Through these photographs I'm capturing personalities and in that split second of the shutter clicking, I feel one with the subjects. I hope that these photographs bring awareness, a human connection and invoke emotion.”
This project celebrates the colour and vibrant diversity of a community kept in the shadows for decades. GAYFACE uses simple diptych portraits to capture the beauty and diversity of individuals in this community through fine art photography. These portraits and the stories that the subjects share document the LGBTQ community from the inside. Through a creative Kickstarter crowd sourced funding campaign the plan is to expand the number of portraits and cities that the team travels to their hope is to reach more isolated communities. Donations will enable the team to book more venues and reach more hearts. To date they have captured 230 portraits in five cities. The ultimate goal is a truly national project capturing 2,000 portraits in 28 states. The creators need your support to make this portraiture book possible.
Along with the portraits, the book will share the individual’s own intimate stories allowing the world to get a first-hand glimpse into these unique lives. The individuals captured have the option to identify sexuality as they wish. “GAYFACE: 1st Class refrains from the use of labels, and wants to break down the stereotypical boxes that society puts us in.”, explains Ashley. She’s hoping that those already part of the ‘community’ and supporters will support the new crowd-funded Kickstarter campaign and help a community often forced to hide in the dark to tell its story to the world.
Donors will find all kinds of awesome rewards. The minimum pledge is only a dollar. For just $5 and up you can score things like postcards and posters (and of course their thanks). For $25 or more you get great perks including an invitation to the book launch in New York. Even if you can’t donate, just spread the word and share the links below with your contacts.
GAYFACE 1st Class Kickstarter campaign
Questions about participating? E-mail Ashley Kolodner at gayface1stclass@gmail.com
Company Name: GAYFACE: 1st CLASS
Contact Person: Ashley Kolodner
Email:Send Email
Phone: 202.302.7083
Country: United States
Website: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1878936840/gayface-1st-class-1st-edition-portrait-book
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