"The Ensley Childhood Project" Exhibit to Open May 15 at BPL First Floor Gallery in Downtown Birmingham

  

"The Watts Sisters" 

"Bush grads"

Birmingham Public Library (BPL) is extremely honored to host The Ensley Childhood Project in its First Floor Gallery downtown, 2100 Park Place. The exhibition will open on Friday, May 15, and will be accompanied by a reception from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the Fourth Floor Gallery. 

 

The Ensley Childhood Project is a non-linear timeline of the historic Ensley neighborhood by way of homemade family photos, archived videos, and written narratives. The reception will honor the subjects of the featured media as well as the show’s curator, Timothy Quarshie. 

 

The Ensley Childhood Project’s focus on vernacular photography and videography reaffirms the importance of stories from underrepresented neighborhoods while also reminding these individuals and those who visit the exhibition that their memories and captured lives are a work of art. 

 

The Ensley Childhood Project is the first curated work of Timothy Quarshie. The project was first imagined in 2023 and gained support from Jahman Hill of The Flourish Alabama and Renew Birmingham, which led to a one-and-a-half year undertaking that included research of the Ensley area, interviews of residents and community leaders, and photo acquisition and curation. The first two iterations of the project were held on the 600 block of 19th Street Ensley as part of the up-and-coming Ensley Black Arts District.  

 

The Ensley Childhood Project is made possible in part by a grant from the Alabama State Council on the Arts. It will be on display through July 25.  

Written by Margaret Splane, Library Assistant III, Art for Everyone, Community Engagement, Fundraising