City of Rocky Mount

Rocky Mount, NC

*Thumbnail and photo courtesy of the Black Light Project*

The City of Rocky Mount has partnered with the Black Light Project (BLP) to create eight, permanent, large-scale photographic installations in multiple prominent public locations around the city, ranging in size from 20x20 feet to 20x60 feet. Based in Greenville, NC, the Black Light Project is a creative partnership of founder and director Tonya Jefferson Lynch and photographers Bryce Chapman and Randy Curtis. BLP is designed to challenge the media’s common, and often negative, narrative about Black men by highlighting the positive narratives of real, everyday Black males who are the rule, not the exception. These men are fathers, brothers, husbands, sons, friends, and neighbors who light the world with kindness, fearlessness, perseverance, love, strength, and humanity. This public art installation is an outgrowth of a 2020 exhibit that was curated in partnership with Rocky Mount’s Imperial Centre for the Arts and Sciences. Utilizing community engagement and a public nomination process, the project tells the stories of these everyday heroes. Based on a variety of narratives, subjects were chosen for the installation and the final work includes a mix of full color, and black and white images, that are graphically enhanced. The community engagement process was facilitated in partnership with the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Nash-Edgecombe Economic Development Inc., Rocky Mount/Edgecombe Community Development Corporation, and Rocky Mount Mills. All the locations for the installations are managed by the City of Rocky Mount’s Parks and Recreation Department, with the exception of Rocky Mount Mills. Nash County sites include the Imperial Centre for the Arts and Sciences, the Rocky Mount Mills, and South Rocky Mount Community Center. Edgecombe County sites include R. M. Wilson Gymnasium, Booker T. Washington Community Center and Stith-Talbot Park.

The following slideshow highlights the collaborative process of the Black Light Project in the City of Rocky Mount, from project launch through installation and beyond.

In 2018, the City of Rocky Mount partnered with the Black Light Project (BLP) to create a portrait exhibition at the Imperial Center for Arts and Sciences. Photo courtesy of The Black Light Project

Director, Tonya Jefferson Lynch, founded the BLP to challenge prominent negative media narratives regarding African American men and to honor and uplift these everyday heroes; fathers, brothers, neighbors and husbands who are the norm and not the exception. Photo courtesy of The Black Light Project

To tell these stories, The BLP partners with photographers (L to R) Bryce Chapman and Randy Curtis. Photo courtesy of The Black Light Project

While The BLP has created portraits of Black men in other cities, this is the first time that they are working in the City of Rocky Mount and the first time they are installing the portraits as large-scale public art banners. Photo courtesy of The Black Light Project

The project launched with a series of community interest meetings and created a call for nominations of African American men that the residents of Rocky Mount would like to honor. Photo courtesy of The Black Light Project

The project stakeholders, through a community nomination and voting process, chose sixteen African American men to be a part of the exhibition and eight of these men were chosen to be featured on large-scale banners as a part of the Inclusive Public Art initiative. Photo courtesy of The Black Light Project

Ten of the men nominated, along with the BLP photographers, pose for a photo that accompanied the press release announcement of the nominated community members. Photo courtesy of Alicyn Wiedrich

The project participants and stakeholders gather for an orientation session. Photo courtesy of Alicyn Wiedrich

One of the beautiful aspects of the project is the relationships that are formed during their process. Here BLP Director Tonya Jefferson Lynch enjoys the storytelling of participant Michael Wright, known as Coach Mike for the decades he spent coaching Rocky Mount youth. Sadly, Mr. Wright passed away in October 2020. Photo courtesy of The Black Light Project

Building rapport with the project participants is essential to capturing authentic portraits. Here BLP photographer Bryce Chapman gets acquainted with participant Bobbie Clark. Photo courtesy of The Black Light Project

A scene from the photoshoot with Bobbie Clark. Photo courtesy of Jonathan Duran

A scene from the photoshoot with Troy Davis. Photo courtesy of Jonathan Duran

On the set of the photoshoot, laughter sets everyone at ease and here photographer Randy Curtis creates a fun environment. Photo courtesy of Jonathan Duran

Photographer Bryce Chapman captures project participant JoSeth Bocook. Photo courtesy of Jonathan Duran

The collaboration between photographers (L to R) Randy Curtis and Bryce Chapman makes for a very strong team. Photo courtesy of Jonathan Duran

On February 22, 2020, the City of Rocky Mount celebrated the opening of the Black Light Project exhibition with a reception. Photo courtesy of The Black Light Project

There was a full house for the reception. Photo courtesy of Mark Adcox

During the reception, project participants were gifted with their framed portrait. Troy Davis (L), along with a friend, pose with BLP Director Tonya Jefferson Lynch (R). Photo courtesy of Mark Adcox

Kyle Johnson’s family enjoys the reception. Photo courtesy of Mark Adcox

The installation began in June 2020 and this view shows Yannick McLeod’s banner portrait installation almost complete. Photo courtesy of Alicyn Wiedrich

Alicyn Wiedrich and Tonya Jefferson Lynch (L to R) monitor the installation process with excited anticipation. Photo courtesy of Mark Adcox

Here the banner portrait of JoSeth Bocook is being installed at the R.M. Wilson Gymnasium. Photo courtesy of Alicyn Wiedrich

Photographer Bryce Chapman returns to the R.M. Wilson Gymnasium to capture photographs of the final installation of JoSeth Bocook’s banner portrait. Photo courtesy of Alicyn Wiedrich

An audio component was created for each corresponding banner portrait. Available on the Otocast app, these audio tracks allow the viewer to hear each man featured share about themselves and their lives in their own voice.

While the Covid-19 pandemic cancelled plans for in-person engagement and celebration after the installation, the team pivoted and created a series of videos that allow community members to further engage with the work. Project participant Maurece “Mo” Lewis hosted the series. Photo courtesy of the Black Light Project

Filming is underway for the “Meet the Artists” episode. Photo courtesy of Alicyn Wiedrich

The banner portrait of Kyle Johnson enjoys a prominent location on the tower at Rocky Mount Mills. Photo courtesy of Alicyn Wiedrich

This drone shot captures the majesty of the banner portraits. Featured here is Kyle Johnson at Rocky Mount Mills. Photo courtesy of Jonathan Duran

The following segment premiered as a part of the PBS North Carolina Visibly Speaking series, which documents all ten Inclusive Public Art grantee projects from Cohort I.