"A Close Look: Scenes from a United Family"

The artists selected for exhibition strive to bypass immediate social associations with the military and accurately represent the experiences of themselves and their loved ones as members of the larger defense community. By mining the memories of their past and capturing intimate moments of leisure time, the artists create a world that is easy to understand and relatable to those outside of this group. No more clearly is this demonstrated than in the photos of Paul Beitler. The strength and intrigue of Beitler's photographs is wrought from the nostalgia of the holidays. When viewing these photographs, we first respond to the presence of a man dressed as Santa Claus before beginning to engage with the military context around him. Similarly, when viewing John Shimashita's Here's Looking At You Kiddo, it is the beauty of the natural backdrop behind the photograph's subject that commands our attention before epaulette-esque details on the subject's vest begin to suggest a military subtext. The effect of these two photographs helps to dismantle the subject matter of the exhibition from its potentially complex associations with the military. In directing us to respond to the details of the photographs instead of the military aspects of the scenes, the artists expand our view of the armed services to include the network of individuals who play more supporting roles. Our understanding of these photographs evolves into one where we respond to the sweetness and intimacy of the moments captured.

As we move through the rest of the exhibition, the experience of viewing Beitler and Shimashita's photographs stays with us. With every image we view, we begin to feel a tug at our hearts to understand not just the subject of the photographs and paintings, but, perhaps more importantly, the person behind these portraits. Who is this person? What association do they have with the armed services? What does this image represent to them? With these questions in mind, we cannot help but recall the times in our lives where photographs have played a special part in our own lives and in creating memories: birthday parties, weddings, family reunions, etc. As these two lines of questioning play out, the exhibition of artworks displayed becomes less about formal qualities and more about memories, communities, and loved ones.

While many of us use photography and other mediums to commemorate and honor our loved ones, the artists in this exhibition make no specific references to family or friends— just individuals. Even John Hosier's piece entitled Dear Son lacks the specificity of identifying whether “son” refers to a biological son or to someone who figuratively fills that role. The sum effect is an understanding of the military network as not a group of families but rather a familial group, in which strangers are elevated to the level of family by virtue of their association with the armed services. The singular act of representing people through art then becomes much more profound. With no specific connection to each other that we are aware of, the act of venerating someone you are only associated with then speaks to the level of loyalty and commitment that members of the military network feel towards each other. In this way, “A Close Look: Scenes from a United Family,” in as much as it is a chance to visually understand a community that many of us might never know, is also a loving tribute amongst the individuals within the military network to each other.