NEW BERN, Craven County — A life sized photo album on five points down Broad st. in New Bern sparks discussions.
Swiss photographer, Michael Von Graffenried, has been snapping photos of people in New Bern for the past 17 years.
Von Graffenried and the Craven Arts Council & Gallery presented the documentary-style photography exhibit ‘Our Town’ on October 7 at Five Points and October 13 at the Bank of the Arts.
A community member said Von Graffenried hasn’t done enough research on the area to make a documentary photo style exhibit out of it.
However, Von Graffenried’s ties to the town extend further back than people know. His ancestors founded the city of New Bern in 1710.
After traveling the world with his camera, he made his way back to New Bern, but this time as an observer of a diversifying community.
He said he’s just documenting the moment, but critics feel his motivations were to show the community in a bad light.
Von Graffenried said he captures realities people may not like, but it’s important to accept them for what they are.
However, New Bern business owner Kurtis Stewart said, “There should have been a little more research. I think there’s better representation of our culture than some of the pictures I see out here. But I also do understand the gentleman who took the pictures may not be from the area or perhaps a different country. But maybe the people he was working with could have given him a different light of what our community is actually made up of than some of the pictures I see here.”
While only 24 photos were presented at the Five Points, Von Graffenried created a book filled with 140 photos documenting the daily life of people in New Bern
Von Graffenried stays away from creating captions for the photos, wanting the pieces to speak for themselves.
He wanted to capture natural photos showing the current culture of the city, including the success and struggles.
“I’m sure that a picture said more about the one who is looking at it than the one who has taken it,” said Von Graffenried.
Stewart said the photos of black men smoking cigars, gambling, and a black pregnant woman photographed with a red solo cup in her hand may lead people to form negative opinions about the black community and the people who live there.
“Coming into a community that already has some division, the light that has been painted doesn’t seem like a positive one,” he said.
Von Graffenried has done these projects all over the world, attracting praise and criticism. He said the reason he showcased mainly black people in his photographs were to show parts of the community that may go unnoticed.
“I think I wanted to show that New Bern is not a white town. There is more. I started in the white society. I felt after five years that I missed something. I said how can I change that?”
From there, he went to a black church to build relationships with the community. He was invited into the homes, churches, and the lives of the people New Bern.
This Thursday, the Craven Arts Council will host an Art Talk and Q&A session with Von Graffenried where he will discuss his intentions with his art and answer questions the community has for him.
The Art Talk will be at 6pm at the Bank of the Arts on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023.
