I appreciate everyone who took time to come out to the show. We had a pretty good turnout even though it was on Halloween. I have uploaded some of the photographs that were taken during the evening. I have also included my artist statement and acknowledgment if you missed the show. Thanks again to everyone who helped, I could not have accomplished this without your selfless dedication and assistance.

Artist Statement

Built in 1943, the Gompers Homes was the first public housing project built in East St. Louis, Illinois. It now stands as the oldest housing project within the city, and it’s physical condition stands as a testament to the distressed past of its city. This past once included murderous riots, severe economic depression, and horrendous crime rates. East St. Louis was described in the late 1980’s as “the most distressed small city in America” by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. However, the past, with its facts and figures, stories and nightmares, is only helpful to a point in understanding the lives of the people living in the Gompers Homes today.

My photographs attempt to provide some illumination into the lives of the people who live in the Gompers Homes. The images depict a very small slice of the complex community that I am documenting, and cannot be viewed as a comprehensive depiction of life within the Gompers Homes. I approached the project in a straightforward manner, seeking to create images that accurately represent each person, but I am a stranger to this community, and this obstacle, to a certain extent, will never be overcome. I am a stranger and outsider by residence, by culture, and by race. Most of my photographs are taken outdoors as I am usually not invited indoors. I strive to overcome these boundaries by challenging myself to erase them through the creation of this work.

I am often asked what it is like to start a project of this nature, what the nature of my interactions are, and how I navigate the process of building relationships and contacts within the community. The following narrative was written after a visit to the Gompers Homes in November of 2007.

The first 20 minutes are always the most difficult. I leave my car, strap on my backpack, and begin to walk around the Gompers Homes. I always feel out of place, an outsider who is trying to gain some understanding of the people who call this place home. I walk slowly, looking to my left and right for people who will question my motives for being there. A question is a relief, an opportunity to explain myself and hopefully engage in conversation. Everyone looks at me. No one knows why I am there, but they all know that I am out of place. I continue through the Gompers homes and stand on the corner. I realize very quickly that walking is completely different than standing. As I stand, I force myself to be in one place, resolute and firm. I am no longer strolling through, but claiming a certain corner, a certain place, contending for the right to stand there. I am nervous. I hold my Styrofoam cup and fish out the small lime that rested on the bottom of the cup, the last remnants of my lunchtime soda. I put the tangy lime in my mouth. I am overwhelmed by the jolt of flavor that rushes through my body, and relieved to find a small respite from my nervousness. I stand on the corner for five minutes, until I am relieved by the sound of a man across the street. “Hey man, you alright?,” he says. “Yeh” I reply. I take the opportunity to walk over to him and start a conversation, telling him what I am doing, and asking permission to take his photograph. He and his friend comply, and I walk back to my car and take out my camera. The first 20 minutes are over.

John David Corson

Acknowledgement

This project would not have been possible without the help of many individuals who provided valuable contributions in assorted ways. Their assistance, support, and guidance were paramount to the overall quality and completion of this work. It is my pleasure to acknowledge their contributions.

I would like to begin by praising and thanking God, for “…he is above all things, and in him all things hold together (Colossians 1:17). I thank God for the talents and abilities that he has given me, and the ability to create art in the apprenticeship of the true artist and creator.
I would like to thank my thesis committee chair Dan Overturf for his continued guidance and instruction through every step of this project. His wealth of photographic knowledge and encouragement has been a significant contribution towards this project’s integrity and vision. In addition, I would like to extend my gratitude to Carma Gorman and Antonio Martinez for their long-term critique and suggestions, which have also influenced my work greatly.

I gratefully acknowledge the people of East St. Louis, IL, and in particular, the residents of the Gompers Homes for allowing me to photograph a small portion of their lives. I would like to thank Sherwin Haywood for his friendship and guidance throughout this project. Sherwin immediately made me feel welcome and introduced me to many of the residents who I eventually photographed for this project. He also helped to develop my awareness of the East St. Louis community and the challenges that they face.

I am pleased to thank Arvella and Sylvester and their children, Donya, Jamaal, and Destiny. Arvella was the first person that I met in the Gompers Homes and proved to be a valuable friend and supporter. I would also like to thank her daughter Donya for her continual joy, laughter, and smile. Donya would always greet me with loud, “Hey JOHN!” and was a great assistant. In addition, I am thankful for Edna Pawnell for her friendship and insight into the life of a Gompers resident. I am also grateful to Ms. Phoebe Boyce for her invaluable knowledge and firsthand insight into the history of the Gompers Homes.

I am very grateful to the Christian Activity Center and their staff for the incredible work that they accomplish in the East St. Louis community and the impact they have on the families of the Gompers Homes. In particular, I would like to thank Chet Cantrell and Russell Smith for their guidance and support.

To my fellow graduate students and recently graduated, thank you for your encouragement, critique, and suggestions. I wish you all the best of luck in your studies and beyond.
To my good friends Drew Mitchell and Brad Peradotto, thank you for staying up until 2 AM on many nights for mounting, matting and framing. Your selfless work and encouragement put this show together.

Most importantly, I would like to thank my family, Dave and Sherry Corson, my sister, Amber Lucas, and my grandmother Virginia Icard for their relentless support both financially and emotionally. I would not be where I am today without these individuals. In addition, I am grateful to my future family, Chuck Boyd, Teresa Boyd, and J.P. Boyd, for providing a home away from home.

It is impossible to put into words my gratefulness to my fiance Emily Boyd, for her continual support and relentless encouragement. Her love always picked me up when the road became rough and seemingly impassable.

Finally, I would like to thank all the other individuals who made countless contributions to this project, and regret that I cannot mention all of you one by one.

Well, the time has finally come.  My M.F.A. thesis exhibition is completed and hanging in the University Museum at SIUC as I write this post.  It is hard to believe that it is completed. I have been working non-stop for the past month and a half.  I encourage everyone to head over to the museum and check out the show.  I am working on getting the word out in local newspapers and by word of mouth.  Here are the details on the show:

Closing Reception: October 31, 4:00 - 7:00 P.M.
Exhibition Dates: October 22 - November 2
Gallery Hours - Tuesday - Friday 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM,  Sat and Sun. 1:00 to 4:00 PM

I have attached the postcard for the show that has the same information on the back.  Please come and check it out and bring as many people as you can.  I look forward to seeing you all there!!!

The big news lately is that I have been selected for an exhibition in St. Louis at the White Flag Gallery. There are 4 other artists in the show this year. It is designed to highlight several B.F.A. and M.F.A. graduates from the St. Louis area. The exhibition will be up from May 17 - June 21. I was unable to attend the opening because I am currently down south working, but several of my friends attended the opening and took some great pictures of the show. I have 7 32”x32” photographs hanging in the gallery. I encourage everyone who is in the St. Louis area to check out the work. I also was selected to have one of my photographs on the large banner outside the gallery. It is pretty crazy to see my image printed at 10 ft. by 25 ft. on the street! This is a great opportunity for me, and I am really excited about the opportunity to show my work, especially in the St. Louis area.

We had a nasty ice storm this week that managed to suspend public school all week. SIUC was only out of classes for a day and a half, but apparently it was the first time class had been canceled due to weather in over 20 years. This is the side of my house the night after the storm. It looks like snow on the ground, but is actually 3-4 inches of rock hard ice. It was fun to ride a makeshift snowboard/skateboard until the board flew out from under me and threw me flat on my back on the ice. My wrist is still very upset with myself for that. You can view a larger version of this and some other photos from that night here.

Emily and I went to St. Louis last Saturday and saw the Bodyworlds 3 exhibit at the St. Louis Science Center.  Bodyworlds is a traveling science exhibit that displays real bodies of dead humans.  It sounds grotesque, but the exhibit uses a scientific method called plastination, which preserves all of the body’s muscles, organs, and tissue after death.  The bodies look like fake plastic models, but they are actually real bodies that have been donated to the exhibit.  It is truly a remarkable experience to view the human body in this manner.  Imagine standing in front of your mirror without any skin on your body.  That is basically what the exhibit looks like, and it surprisingly not disgusting.  Emily has a fairly squeamish stomach and she had no problem viewing the exhibit.  Emily and I both came away from the exhibit with a greater appreciation of the human body and it’s staggering complexity.  It is impossible for me to believe that the human body was created exclusively from the evolutionary process.  The mark of God’s infinite wisdom and power are so clearly evident in his creation of man.  I encourage everyone within the St. Louis area to take a look at this exhibit, it is definitely worth the price.  The St. Louis exhibit is on display until March 2, 2008. 

I visited East St. Louis last Saturday and attempted to make some quality photographs and conversation. It was a pretty rough day. I managed to walk away with a roll of film exposed and very very little interaction with residents. I delivered two portraits to people I had photographed on the last visit. The first photograph was comprised of a family, and the second featured two young men and a young woman, all in their mid 20s. It was a very depressing and discouraging day to say the least. I left an hour before sunset, almost admitting my defeat for the day and retreating back to Carbondale for the evening. The project continues to be extremely challenging on many levels. It is creatively and artistically challenging to create photographs that are singularly different from each other because of the uniformness of the housing project. Many of my backgrounds become overused and repeatable. It is emotionally challenging to document a community of people that you can only visit once a week, and not share their experiences at all times. I constantly ask myself why I am doing this project, but I somehow always find the resolve within to continue working no matter how discouraged I become. I am planning on visiting again this Wednesday.