Several art projects helped us cope during 2020’s stay-at-home months. We searched for original works in windows along a mapped route, downloaded coloring pages by local artists, attended distanced concerts and plays, and amped up our holiday light displays, letting them glow well past the season. We also embraced the porch photography trend that swept the globe, with projects launched by local photographers.
The C’ville Porchraits project formed after Eze Amos saw a story about Massachusetts photographer Cara Soulia’s pivot to taking family photos on stoops, porches, and front yards in exchange for donations to charity. Amos enlisted fellow local shutterbugs Tom Daly, Kristen Finn, John Robinson, and Sarah Cramer Shields to join him in a similar effort, and at final count the team had snapped over 1,000 pictures.
Charlottesville photographer Robert Radifera also took note of Soulia’s Front Steps Project and created a local outpost that benefited the Charlottesville Community Foundation.
“The project made it possible for folks to see each other and interact with one another through our photos,” says Amos. “The Instagram page was a colorful window that reminded everyone that we were still holding on strong as a community.”
