The Governor's Academy Exhibits "Sum of My Parts", An exhibit of the Photography of David Hilliard

The Governor’s Academy is proud to feature Sum of My Parts, an exhibition by photographer David Hilliard. Sum of My Parts is a cross-section of his photographic works, made over the course of decades. Images included in the exhibition touch upon themes of family, diversity, gender/identity, rites of passage, nuances of masculinity, queerness, faith, love, and desire. The exhibit will be displayed in the gallery in the Remis Lobby of the Wilkie Center for the Performing Arts on campus from now until Friday, May 10.

“I’ve been showing David Hilliard’s photos to my students for a dozen years,” shares Photography Teacher David Oxton. “The stories he creates with his photos really resonate with students. His method of building diptychs and triptychs from multiple views of a scene is highly effective for storytelling. The Academy’s photography students have earned numerous awards by emulating the narrative techniques that David Hilliard uses in his work.”

Hilliard's large-scale, multi-paneled color photographs present complex narratives exploring a range of themes and situations. He takes the personal and familiar and manipulates them to provide a commentary on larger issues such as masculinity, coming of age, sexuality, and spirituality. Often, his images take cues from storytelling, theater/performance and cinema.

Based in Boston, Hilliard is an award-winning photographer. A recipient of a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship and Fulbright Grant, he has been a visiting lecturer at numerous schools, including Harvard University, Dartmouth College, and Massachusetts College of Art & Design. Hilliard’s work is included in the public collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, among many others.

All are welcome to experience Sum of My Parts in the gallery in the Remis Lobby of the Wilkie Center for the Performing Arts on The Governor’s Academy campus from now until Friday, May 10. Please take some time to experience this provocative exhibit and join us for one of two artist talks on Thursday, April 11 at 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. The gallery is open to the public from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on weekdays when school is in session and on weekends by appointment (Please contact David Oxton at doxton@govsacademy.org).