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About the Project
The 2005 Portrait Calendar began with a photography contest. In early July, Pivot distributed 200 black and white disposal cameras to low-income residents of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. A further 20 cameras were distributed to residents in the Downtown Eastside of Toronto, in collaboration with non-profit organizations COUNTERfit Harm Reduction Program and Street Health Community Nursing Foundation.Contestants were asked to document their daily lives, with a focus on the themes of compassion, joy, courage, struggle, faith and friendship. After three days, the contestants in both cities returned their cameras for processing and printing.
More than 3500 images were returned and entered into a photography contest to identify the most compelling photographs. A panel of professional photographers met to evaluate and select the 40 most striking images, with an eye to artistic merit, emotional impact and technical quality. The winning photographers received prizes in a highly publicized award ceremony held in mid-October.
The 2005 Downtown Eastside Portrait Calendar is a selection of the most compelling images from this photography contest. An innovative mix of technology, business and art, the Portrait Calendar Campaign is designed to give marginalized persons the power to define their own identity, and to create a stage for an incredible, but untapped, source of human potential in our society. Proceeds from the sale of the calendar go towards funding Pivot's ongoing legal, educational and strategic efforts to advance the interests and improve the lives of marginalized persons. |
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