Stories Within A Story

A PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBIT OF BABY TALK FAMILIES BY KATHY LOCKE

Madden Arts Center, Decatur, IL, February 3 – 27

I have had the privilege of serving on Baby Talk’s Board for several years, and have often become slightly teary eyed at the monthly meetings, listening to the staff’s touching stories of care for their clients. I have always seen Baby Talk as a beautiful calico quilt connecting a variety of our community’s diverse fabric, stitched together to bring love, warmth and comfort to our children.

The exhibit is titled “Stories With In A Story,” and highlights the individual journeys of 12 families utilizing Baby Talk programs. Their stories are the heart of the show and tell the greater story of the depth and breadth of BT services.

I selected black and white photographs as my storytelling medium to mirror the timeless, enduring and most basic human relationships between children and their caregivers. All of the subjects were shot in the same vintage loft location, highlighting their common bond of age-old love for family. Some of the photographs show space around the studio set and backdrops, reminding the viewer of the documentary nature of the exhibit. What is not seen in the photographs, but is an integral part of each story, is the compassionate and dedicated staff that execute the Baby Talk programs.

My journey has become much richer by crossing paths with these amazing families, staff and certainly BT founder, Claudia Quigg, who retired in 2016 after 30 years. I am in awe of each individual commitment and expression of care.   To quote Annie Liebovitz, “A thing that you see in my pictures is that I was not afraid to fall in love with these people.”