We believe that Vernacular Photography shouldn’t be imposed with the rules and sensibilities of art photography. Rather, they are cultural capsules with their own material and personal histories. The Student Collections of Vernacular Photographs is exactly that, a collection not conforming to established aesthetics but rather embracing the time, the material, the condition, the subject and the whimsy of each photograph.

Some of the history of these photographs is lost. But the identity of the photographs and its subjects are ever evolving. Stuart Hall says, “Identities are the names we give to the different ways we are positioned by, and position ourselves within, the narratives of the past.”

Using their collection as the starting point, as an inspiration, the students will create their own pieces of art – photographs, drawings, writings, etc. These works will serves as an extension of the identity of the vernacular photographs.

The show rather than collecting and cataloging vernacular photography will aim to demonstrate their versatility, and their material and cultural richness. And through the student work, the show also hopes to demonstrate an interaction between art and vernacular that is not categorical or reductive but rather mutually appreciative and symbiotic.

Major support for the exhibition was provided by the University of Miami Department of Art and Art History and The Citizen's Board, University of Miami.