What Cheer? is an intimate exploration of the city of Providence, Rhode Island, and owes its name to the city’s motto. The intent is truthful representation; a balance between allowing the city look its best, while hiding nothing. These are pictures made with an open heart and a mindful gaze. They are records of feelings made by reflexive response to what is seen. They are meant to transmit the feeling of place, of being there in the moment, present and eternal. Though this work is temporally anchored to the time of the artist’s residence, careful examinations of the city’s layers of architectural forms and socioeconomic markers provides a broader context–a suggestion of how what is seen now came to be. What Cheer? is an authentic document of Providence, made from situated knowledge gained from years of residence and mindful seeing, and meant to answer this most important question–how does this place wish to see itself?
