Ackland Art Museum challenges guests to redefine art through 'vernacular photography'

From the vintage allure of a Polaroid photo to the high-definition brilliance of an Instagram post, photos have been utilized for decades to capture and remember moments in time. People might not consider photos like these to be art — and the Ackland Art Museum wants to challenge that.

"Lost and Found: Stories for Vernacular Photographs," is a new exhibition which will be open Dec. 13 through Jan. 12 at the Ackland.

The collection highlights vernacular photographs, or photographs that originally had no artistic intention and are lacking context.

Lauren Turner, assistant curator for the collection, described vernacular photos as unintentional relics of history.

“Basically these are photographs that were snapshots, family pictures, sometimes just accidents, sometimes intentional jokes, and all previously taken by amateurs or unnamed practitioners for private purposes,” she said. “Think about all of the photographs that maybe your grandma had in a scrapbook or that you’ll see in boxes at thrift stores and antique stores.”

The Ackland will also be holding a photo captioning contest for many of the photographs, with prizes including gift store credit, museum memberships, and the possibility of captions being displayed alongside photographs in the exhibition. The competition’s best prizes will be limited to those who submit before the "early bird" deadline, Dec. 8.

“Submissions can either be photo captions, anything up to 50 words, or a story, which can be 50-300 words, telling the backstory that might have gone along with that photograph,” said communications assistant Eileen Hammond.

Hammond said she hopes people engage with the contest and enjoy interacting with the art they see.

“I hope that folks will have a lot of fun,” she said. “We want our museum visitors to feel welcome in the museum space and to feel like they can participate in the exhibitions that we put on here, so this is a really good opportunity to be a little bit more playful in what we’re offering. We want to invite visitors to interact with the art, to try to think deeply about the art that we have on display, and to contribute their own ideas so that they become a part of the exhibition as well.”

Turner said this exhibition is part of a movement in art circles to further recognize and represent photography as an equally important and valid artistic medium.

“Museums are trying to come to terms with that fact that billions of these images were created, and have a role in the history of photography, and that we need to at least have some sort or representation of them in our collections,” Turner said.

Amy Swartz, curatorial assistant at the Ackland, said she agreed that the exhibition is working to further represent photography in art museums. She explained how most photography has never been considered “real art,” especially vernacular photography.

“They usually were not considered art objects, but more recently, people have been relooking at that because vernacular photography helps in our historical context,” she said. “It sheds some light on the time and context and often references other art forms as well. It can be really interesting, and makes you rethink what defines art.”

Swartz said she hopes this exhibit will challenge attendees' preconceived ideas about what art is, and that the exhibit will push boundaries.

“I think they’ll be able to see something they wouldn’t usually in the museum,” Swartz said. “You have to look at photographs you don’t expect and you’ve never seen before, and also some that may resonate to your own life. A lot of these look like normal photographs that we might have taken today, just in the past. I think a lot of people question, especially with contemporary art, what is considered art and why. Here, I think the public will be able to question that on their own terms and be involved in this opportunity to distinguish things as art.”

Full details of the competition and prizes can be found on the Ackland's website.

arts@dailytarheel.com