WHAT:
Distinguished artist, teacher and scholar Bill Gaskins is accepting submissions for The Meaning of Hope, a public art project in the form of a video production in which Detroiters address the question, "What does hope mean to you?"

Gaskins, who was appointed last spring to the Elaine L. Jacob Endowed Chair in the Visual Arts in WSU's James Pearson Duffy Department of Art and Art History, said the project will engage the city in a meaningful dialogue from three different perspectives. The video will show children in Detroit answering the question, "What does hope mean to you?" At the same time, the video will show citizens who are either critical of or without hope for the future. The video will also present a cross section of residents reading excerpts from a sermon by Martin Luther King Jr. on the meaning of hope.

When complete, The Meaning of Hope will take the form of a three-channel video projection exhibited on campus.

Approximately 30 volunteers will be chosen to appear in the video based on their responses to statements they complete on an online form at www.talkback.wayne.edu. Respondents under the age of 18 will need parental permission to appear if selected.

WHEN:
Submissions will be accepted online through May 2011.

MORE INFO:
Bill Gaskins is a professor at Parsons The New School for Design in New York. His artwork, writing, lectures and teaching examine the myths of photography and American culture, the history of photography, race and representation, the politics of visual culture, media literacy, and the artist as citizen.

From a professional base in photography and arts writing, and an academic foundation in fine art and the history of photography, Gaskins' work explores questions about photography and the portrait in the 21st century. His approach to photography as both producer and critical spectator has garnered attention through commissions, artist residencies, grants, public lectures, solo and group exhibitions, exhibition catalogs and books.

Wayne State University is a premier urban research university offering more than 400 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to nearly 32,000 students.