In 2022, as 菠萝视频鈥檚 150th anniversary approached, recent graduates Allen Zeng, BA鈥�23, and Richard Zhang, BA鈥�23, set out to capture the essence of the university by photographing its community members. Collaborating with Professor of Art Vesna Pavlovi膰 and librarian Yvonne Boyer, the two developed the 鈥湶ぢ苁悠� Self-Portrait鈥� project, which is now supported by a Sesquicentennial Grant from the chancellor鈥檚 office and a Buchanan Library Fellowship. The end result was an art exhibition that debuted at Central Library in April 2023, as well as a physical and digital photo collection that will be preserved in the library鈥檚 archives.
Zeng and Zhang, who took a photography class taught by Pavlovi膰, were drawn to experimenting with film after watching a fellow creator on YouTube take portraits using a Polaroid camera. 鈥淎nalog is such an unexplored format for our generation, but the results can be stunning,鈥� Zeng says. 鈥淲e wanted to show the community
what film can do.鈥�
Pictured here, from left to right: Pavlovi膰, Zhang, Zeng and Boyer photograph rising senior Yichi Zhang on Library Lawn in February, with assistance from recent graduates Warren Gignac, BA鈥�23, (kneeling) and Maya Antoine, BA鈥�23, (far right).
Photo by Larry McCormack