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The Indispensable Project was co-curated by Yale undergraduate Art student Michelle Kemei (graduated May 2019), and masters in Fine Arts candidate Alison Minto (graduating May 2020). Compelled to change the white male lens through which photography is typically consumed, Kemei and Mlinto provided six black female-identified, non-binary and gender non-conforming high school students with disposable film cameras, so they could produce their own narratives within their communities. 

Using documented racial  and gender demographics like number of black students, after-school programs offered and teacher to student ratio, the co-curators identified potential high schools to partner with. The Yale Women’s Faculty Forum approved their grant proposal in November 2018; allowing the co-curators to reach out to Wilbur Cross High School. 

In January 2019, the Principal of Wilbur Cross High School approved the project,  and the co-curators publicized it to students at the school cafeteria during lunch hour.
 

The Students

Wilbur Cross High School students who took interest in participating attended their first photography workshop in January 2019, where the co-curators outlined the project aims, and showed them examples of work from black photographers. They submitted their original ideas to the curators, who responded with customized lists of photography recommendations, and a compilation of helpful guidelines for capturing the images. Most importantly, the students collected their disposable cameras. 

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Towards the end of the spring, students submitted their used film for developing and scanning, and the images to be exhibited were finalized and printed. The exhibit took place at the Creative Art Workshop in New Haven, Connecticut from June 3 to 11, 2019.  Students, their families and the greater New Haven community were invited to engage with the images. 

The Book

After finalizing the layout the curators printed 11 copies of The Indispensable Project photo-book through Blurb.  So far, copies have been distributed to the 6 students, the 2 co-curators, Principal Johnson of WCHS and the Women’s Faculty Forum Committee. One copy will be donated to Haas Art Library at Yale in the fall of 2019. 

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