Framing The News:The Cleveland Collage Project

The Cleveland Collage Project aims to assemble portrait of Greater Cleveland that is inclusive, accurate, nuanced and complete. It’s my reaction to the Rust Belt coverage I’ve seen in national media like the Washington Post, the New York Times and CBS.

I’m not saying the stories weren’t accurate. I’m saying they were framed.

What is a frame? Think of a cinematographer preparing to shoot a movie. She makes a tiny rectangle with her fingers to see how much of the scene should be photographed. She knows she can’t depict everything, so she chooses the most arresting elements. But the audience doesn’t know that image has been cropped. They think they’re seeing the entire picture.

When I read stories about the Rust Belt, I know what’s on the outside of the frame because I’m an insider. I pass  drive down streets boarded up houses.  Just blocks away from my home, I watch businesses open and close within months.  I see high school students parading down the street, cheered by loving families and friends  at the “Line Up” on prom night.

Each image depicts a slice of life in Greater Cleveland. A true portrait of the city would include these pictures and others. That’s why I’m asking for your help in constructing a collage that shows the reality of local life.

What is the Cleveland Collage Project?

From now until the beginning of spring, I’ll be working on finding, creating and collecting images that show present-day Cleveland. Although I’m referring to the city, I’m not limiting myself to its boundaries. Cleveland is the sum of its parts, and those parts include its suburbs.

You can help by suggesting subjects or topics for the Cleveland Collage Project, and/or by sharing photographs. Because I plan to exhibit the collage, I have to set some guidelines for content:

• No racist, sexist or otherwise discriminatory photos or pictures
• No images with overt sexual content. The pictures should be suitable for family viewing
• No images that promote a political or religious stance to the exclusion of others. (News photos may be accepted on a case-by-case basis)

If you have a suggestion for a topic or subject, please share it in the comments. If you wish to donate scans of images that should be included, contact me or email me at afi(at)aoscruggs(dot)com.