What is hope? We searched Rochester to find out
What would you do if someone handed you a camera (the kind with real film inside) and asked you to take pictures of hope in Rochester?
No guidelines other than those.
That was my task a few weekends ago, when I participated in a collaboration between the Villa of Hope and the Hope Is Project, to benefit the Villa at its annual Portraits of Hope Gala on Friday, April 22.
The first thing I did? I laughed. Don’t they know I’m not a visual creative? I’m the one who describes what she sees.
Yet I was intrigued by the idea of identifying and photographing hope, so I decided to learn more about both the Villa of Hope and the Hope Is Project.
Villa of Hope has been providing services to young people in Rochester for over 70 years: support, community and hope where there is often very little. The Hope Is Project was founded by photographer Sarah Takako Skinner, who has partnered with executive producer Marc Raco (originally from Rochester) to change the world through images of hope.
Sarah, a renowned photographer from Seattle, has been fascinated by the idea of hope ever since she learned about her own premature birth. She knew that despite the overwhelming odds for her survival, her parents never gave up hope that she would somehow grow and thrive.
She dedicated herself to taking pictures of what hope is to her and, through the Hope Is Project, she has provided a way for her subjects to document hope in their own lives. They include a veteran, a renowned social worker, kids at a boxing camp.
Sarah and Marc were inspired by the mission of the Villa of Hope and how their own project could not only help raise awareness and funds for the Villa, but also serve as a project for the kids being served there.
As for me, they had me at “hope.” I was in, and so were Dan Mason, GM of the Rochester Red Wings, and Angie Perez, vice president at Villa of Hope. That same weekend we were given our cameras, Sarah and Marc were working with kids at the Villa, guiding them in capturing their own pictures of hope. One boy photographed his hopes and dreams of appearing on stage at Blackfriars Theatre, which opened especially for him to get photos taken.
But when I started out, I was stuck. Not because I couldn’t find hope, but because I had so many images in my mind of hope in Rochester.
My weekend taking pictures of hope ended up giving me hope. I visited the Mt. Hope Cemetery for the first time and saw the grave of my childhood hero, Susan B. Anthony. I attended the Sewn Seeds Fashion Show, produced by designer and owner of Peppermint, Tanvi Asher. There I saw hope in real women modeling their own wedding dresses; I took pictures of the Rochester City Ballet, and the hopeful inspiration that comes from artistry performed; and I photographed a student from Young Women's College Prep School playing guitar in public for the first time.
Dan Mason seemed equally moved by the project. “The project made me realize that hope means a lot of different things to a lot of different people, depending on their perspective,” he told me. “My favorite photo was all the gates at Frontier Field opened up. My personal hope is that everyone in our community feels welcome here.”
My favorite pictures of hope from the weekend: my scale (I’m always hoping!) and my daughter’s eyes. Because in her eyes, I see hope for the future of all children in Rochester.
For more information about the Gala and the Hope Is Project, go to: