Photograph by Ed Pollard, Hasselblad H4D50 - 2019.

Baptism

Artist Preston Gannaway (American, born 1977)

Date2013

MediumArchival pigment print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Pearl paper with Canon Lucia ink

DimensionsOverall, Image: 12 1/2 × 18 3/4 in. (31.8 × 47.6 cm)
Overall, Support: 16 × 20 in. (40.6 × 50.8 cm)

ClassificationsPhotography

Credit LineMuseum purchase

Object number2017.15.3

On View

Not on view

DescriptionDepicts a group of African American men and women in the ocean. Two women hold the arms of another who has just been baptised.
Label TextPreston Gannaway American, born 1977 clockwise from top left Baptism, 2013 Archival pigment print (photograph) The genie and the sumo wrestler, 2009 Archival pigment print (photograph) Shriners, 2010 Archival pigment print (photograph) Twins, 2013 Archival pigment print (photograph) In these four photographs, Preston Gannaway depicts Norfolk’s Ocean View neighborhood, where she lived for several years, highlighting the area’s complex social and economic identity. The strong contrasts demonstrate how the social fabric of Ocean View is intertwined with the beach and bay, and how the experience of a particular place can unify people. As she says, “I had never seen a place so eclectic as Ocean View. I find its imperfections attractive, and perhaps more importantly, truthful. As a hairdresser here once put it to me, ‘A place so diverse must be forgiving.’” Museum purchase 2017.15.3, .4, .2, and .1