Noteworthy: In the Line of Duty
Curated stories from OF NOTE magazine’s archive
For April, we’re bringing you stories of women who’ve put their bodies on the line to create art they believe in. Asmara Pelupessy’s article in “The Immigrant Issue” on photographer Encarni Pindado, who journeys alongside migrants on Mexico’s borders to capture the experiences of women, speaks to the risk a photographer takes to tell the whole story. Stacy Parker LeMelle, in “The Gun Issue,” unpacks Montana Ray’s gun-shaped poems that confront familial violence while LeRonn Phillip Brooks’ interview in “The Girls Issue” with Soraya Nulliah explores her artistic response to a culture of silence that often plagues women and girls experiencing trauma. From “The Burqa Issue,” Rajul Punjabi profiles Kabul-based graffiti artist Shamsia Hassani, who paints images of women in burqas in large public spaces, despite facing unsafe streets and verbal and physical harassment. Finally, Alicia Hartz in “The Unsheltered Issue” writes about Andrea Star Reese, a photographer who spent seven years documenting a community of “mole people” who live inNYC’s underground train tunnels. On the commitment to giving voice to her art, no matter the danger, Reese says, “I know what a story means-a story means you’re not just gonna drop in and drop out.” -Celeste Hamilton Dennis, Editor
A View from Both Sides: Stories of Migration by Photographer Encarni Pindado by Asmara Pelupessy
Journeying alongside migrants in Mexico, photographer Encarni Pindado has gained the trust to tell integrated, truthful stories about migration.
Montana Ray: The Concrete Poems of (guns & butter) by Stacy Parker LeMelle
The “pretty gun” on the cover of poet Montana Ray’s (guns & butter) seduces you to open the book and encounter more guns. But this time, they are poems shaped as guns, and they are complicated works of art.
Breaking the Silence: An Interview with Artist Soraya Nulliah by LeRonn Phillip Brooks
In subtle and overt ways, Soraya Nulliah’s portraits are a response to the culture of silence that often plagues women and girls who are victimized by domestic violence.
Shamsia Hassani: Beauty and the Burqa by Rajul Punjabi
Shamsia Hassani’s message is provocative -she paints images of women in burqas inlarge public spaces when the burqa is known for preserving a woman’s privacy.
Andrea Star Reese: Life inNYC’s Underground by Alicia Hartz
From dealing with childhood abuse to drug addiction, The Urban Cave visually documents “mole people” and how the community supports one other.
