Dublin Arts Council Gallery exhibit aims to change views on those with Down syndrome

The latest exhibit at the Dublin Arts Council Gallery is an exploration of identity.

The U.S. debut of Shifting Perspectives, a photography exhibit by Richard Bailey, explores this idea with contemporary photographs of people with Down syndrome. The exhibit runs through Nov. 4.

Bailey’s daughter, Billie-Jo, was born with Down syndrome. In the course of researching his daughter’s condition 12 years ago, he became discouraged at the photographs he found.

“We found no images that showed daily life, no images of families having fun with their children or of young adults going about their daily life, and these were the images that we dearly wanted to see,” Bailey says.

In 2003, Bailey was part of a group of professional photographers in the United Kingdom who set out to create new, contemporary images. Like Bailey, the photographers were all parents of children with Down syndrome. Since that time, the exhibition has grown and traveled all over the U.K., as well as to Canada, Turkey and Colombia.

The Dublin Arts Council Gallery is the perfect place to welcome the exhibit to the U.S. because of its intimacy, says council Executive Director David Guion.

“The arts center, once a family residence, encourages conversation and interaction,” Guion says. “We have the prospect of experiencing photography, looking at images that prompt us to explore our own identity and that of the greater community.”

Lito Ramirez – founder and CEO of DownSyndrome Achieves (DSA), a Dublin-based national advocacy organization that supports individuals and families living with Down syndrome, along with advancing research, legislation and education – approached Guion more than a year ago about bringing Shifting Perspectives to Dublin.

“He came to us and thought it would be an appropriate exhibit for a small, intimate space,” Guion says. “The logistics of it just work here.”

Because of the intimacy the Dublin Arts Council Gallery provides, the Arts Council decided to host two public workshops to help further explore the idea of identity in Dublin.

The Exploring Identity workshop, for ages 13-18, will be held from 6-7:30 p.m. Oct. 4 and 11.

Those participating will work with Abdi Roble, a local documentary photographer who deals mostly with the Somali community in central Ohio.

“(Roble) has a clear sense of identity and shows a diverse community,” Guion says. “We thought he would be an appropriate person to teach the workshop.”

The Express Yourself workshop, for ages 10 and up, will be held from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Oct. 8.

Marcella Hackbardt, an associate professor of studio art at Kenyon College, will help students explore their own identities through photography.

Pre-registration is required for both workshops.

“I just think that, for some people, coming to the gallery and seeing the work is not enough. (They want to) interact with and understand the work completely,” Guion says. “Part of the process of viewing and experience is to really build awareness and understanding of people with this particular condition.”

The themes in Shifting Perspectives are relevant and challenging, with images ranging from personal ambition to sexual identity. All point to a rich internal life that society has, for the most part, ignored.

“In 2005, I photographed 365 children with Down syndrome,” Bailey says. “This was to represent the statistic that one to two children, on average, are born with Down syndrome every day in England alone.”

Most people find that statistic astonishing, he says.

As part of the project, Bailey also photographed his daughter every day for a year.

“I wanted to show her vitality and sense of fun. I wanted to show that sometimes she was sad and sometimes she cried,” Bailey says. “Most of all, though, I wanted to say, ‘Look, here is a child who has Down syndrome, she has not been forgotten about or put in a corner. She is my daughter, the beautiful Billie-Jo Bailey.’”

Twenty years ago, parents thought cleaning offices and bagging grocer- ies were the best career options for their Down syndrome children, says Ramirez, himself the father of a child with Down syndrome. Younger parents are much more hopeful, and the photographs reflect that.

Individuals with Down syndrome “learn to drive, go to college, fall in love, get married,” Ramirez says. They have careers and want families.

Bailey agrees.

“We hope the general public will be able to see that people with Down syndrome have dreams, aspirations, wants, needs, likes and dislikes, just like anyone else,” he says. “I hope that the images will ask people to see the person and not the condition.”

The exhibition can be seen free of charge at the Dublin Arts Council Gallery. For more information on the gallery and to register for a workshop, call (614) 889-7444 or visit www.dublinarts.org.

Cindy Gaillard is the Executive Producer of WOSU Public Media’s Emmy Award-winning ArtZine. Find new episodes on Facebook. Comments and feedback welcome at gmartineau@pubgroupltd.com.

By Devan Toncler

Dublin’s

Dublin is putting together a thrilling and chilling evening of fun for the families of the community.

Spooktacular will be held from 3:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27 at the Dublin Community Recreation Center, 5600 Post Rd. Admission and parking are free, and all ages are welcome to come enjoy the Halloween celebration.

This year’s event will feature all the annual favorites, as well as some new activities.

There will be a professional pumpkin carver displaying his expert craftsmanship, as well as a Trick or Treat Trail where businesses will be passing out candy and other goodies, fortune-tellers, and lots of food vendors.

There will also be a haunted trail.

“The trail is not terribly scary; it is more fun and eerie,” says Mary Jo DiSalvo, events administrator for the City of Dublin. “it is always very popular, especially when it starts to get dark.”

New this year, COSi will be coming to Spooktacular, bringing with it lots of scientific spooky fun.

The science center will feature the Science Spot, where children can come and build their very own miniature science projects. Along with Flubber, an oozing green substance, there will be the Barfing Pumpkin Science Experiment, which should prove to be equally gross and gooey. Ratio the giant Rat, COSi’s mascot, will be in attendance to hang out and take pictures with kids.

“There is something special about Halloween that brings out the kid in everyone,” says DiSalvo.

Everyone who comes is encouraged to dress up in his or her best and most creative Halloween costume.

“Every year, we have everyone from babies to seniors dressing up and enjoying the day,” DiSalvo says.

For more information or to volunteer, visit www.dublin.oh.us.

Devan Toncler is a contributing writer. Comments and feedback welcome at gmartineau@pubgroupltd.com.