URI_Research_Magazine_Momentum_Winter_2015_Melissa-McCarthy

subjects quickly relax.”

While in India, Matthew also created new work in response to the horrific 2012 Delhi rape case, where a middle-class young woman was brutally assaulted and ultimately died from her wounds. The pieces were printed on vinyl and publicly installed on street walls of Bangalore, India.

Revising a Def ini t ion Matthew’s latest photo project started through the Society of Photographic Education inaugural Future Focus Project Grant. This grant lead to “From Immigrant to Native: Imaging the New American,” which explores the generational transition and experiences of new immigrants of the 21st century America in contrast to old images. “The word immigrant conjures up families passing through Ellis Island or young men climbing across the southwest border fence,” she says. “It is more than that; it is the core of what America is today, as an idea and in reality. The America of yesterday, filled with immigrants of European descent is giving way to a new multi-colored and multicultural America.”

Matthew continues, “By 2050, minority populations in the United States will become the majority of the population. In this new, multi-colored American, we need to reframe our understanding of our newest immigrants in terms of their cultures, religions and stories.” She is slated to present her initial work of the evolving project at the 2015 National Conference for the Society for Photographic Education in New Orleans, LA, where she is an invited speaker. In the meantime, she is seeking area families as potential subjects for her project. For Matthew, URI has helped to create a supportive environment for research as she continues to push the boundaries between culture and perception.

Annu Palakunnathu Matthew exhibit

“URI has been extremely supportive for being able to have a balance between teaching and research and I hope it continues to expand ways of support for faculty in the arts and humanities,” Matthew says. “The work created from a seed funding grant from the URI Division of Research and Economic Development lead to my recent Fulbright.”

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Annu Palakunnathu Matthew & sepiaEYE, nyc

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