Anderson Gallery exhibit explores decaying city

Images of photographer LaToya Ruby Frazier’s family and hometown are on display in the Anderson Gallery. Photo by Annie Agee.

Maya Earls
Spectrum Editor

Born and raised in Braddock, Penn., photographer LaToya Ruby Frazier has a firsthand account of life inside a decaying city. By taking images of her family life at various ages, Frazier has captured the memory of Braddock back in its heyday and the somber emotions of the city in its present state for the exhibition “A Haunted Capital” in the Anderson Gallery.

Even though Pittsburgh and Braddock, Penn. are no more than 20 minutes apart, the two areas look like different worlds. Pittsburgh has a population of more than 300,000 and was named one of America’s most livable cities by Forbes Magazine in 2012. Frazier’s hometown has a population of little more than 2,000 and is labeled a financially distressed municipality by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.

Frazier graduated from Syracuse University in 2007, with a Master of Fine Arts degree in art photography. According to her website, the photographer presents her work in documentary format, with a focus on postmodern conditions, class and capitalism. Frazier’s photographs have appeared in exhibits at the Whitney Museum of American Art in Manhattan, N.Y. and the Andy Warhol Museum’s Pittsburgh Biennial.

Organized by the Brooklyn Museum, “A Haunted Capital” features self-portraits of Frazier and her family in what was once home to America’s first steel mill. The New York Times reported the exhibit “connects bedrooms and streetscapes” and “the suffering of loved ones.” Frazier’s grandmother, who is featured in the exhibit died from cancer. Frazier’s mother has cancer, and Frazier was diagnosed with lupus in 2002. Even though a large percentage of Braddock’s population have long-term illnesses, the local hospital closed in 2010 and was later destroyed.

In a statement on her website, the photographer explained how each generation in her family experienced different change within Braddock.

“Grandma Ruby, Mom and myself grew up in significantly different social and economic climates in Braddock,” Frazier said. “We not only witnessed, we experienced and internalized the end of industrialization and rise of de-industrialization.”

Frazier refers to “A Haunted Capital” as a collaboration because her mother often took the photos of Frazier used in the exhibit. During a lecture reported by the contemporary art publication, “Daily Serving”, Frazier said she felt a distance between the images projected behind her.

“Between my background and my foreground, I am not sure where I stand,” Frazier said.

The images of “A Haunted Capital” give viewers the opportunity to step in someone else’s shoes, and watch the transformation of a neighborhood and a way of living.

LaToya Ruby Frazier: “A Haunted Capital” is on display in the Anderson Gallery at 907 1/2 W. Franklin St. until March 9.

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