Living Proof at Slow Exposures 2014
When I was in Minneapolis for the premiere of Redemption back in June, I had the opportunity to visit and take pictures at Animal Ark, the Hastings, MN No Kill shelter that hosted the premiere. Some of those pictures will hang in a popup show at Slow Exposures in Zebulon, GA this September. The show is called Living Proof, the first installment in what I hope will be a much larger photographic project about No Kill communities.
I got the idea for this because I was so struck by the difference in attitude and atmosphere at shelters in No Kill communities vs. ones which still kill as a means of controlling the animal population (and a means of exerting psychological control over rescuers and volunteers.) At every shelter I have ever visited in a No Kill community, I was welcomed and invited to photograph whatever I wanted to, whereas at places that kill, I have experienced hostility in some form or other, sometimes very overt, and sometimes even before I even got in the door or said a word. I’d also like to show people what No Kill communities really look like. They are positive places where the lives of all lost and homeless pets are valued–truly valued, and where the contributions of shelter staff, volunteers and rescuers and community members, are also valued. They are places where people are treated like human beings, and that makes a huge difference. No Kill communities are nothing like what the fear mongers (yes there are fear mongers about this issue, for example PETA, hence the “Crazy” in my blog’s title) would have you believe.
In the time leading up to SlowE, I’ll post occasional pictures from this project, which is very much a work in progress (as in–I still have a lot of photos yet to process).
An American Shelter Dog awaits his turn to join the dog play group at Animal Ark in Hastings, MN. Play groups, advocated by trainer Aimee Sadler, are a great way to keep dogs physically and mentally healthy in the shelter environment.
