Dear Bernard – Letters to our Senior Dogs is a tribute to my dog, Bernard, who crossed the rainbow bridge two weeks shy of his 13th birthday, and a year after the inception of the project. The project highlights the love between New Yorkers and their senior dogs, through images and letters written to them by their human family members. The combination of words and images invites us to feel the bond that becomes stronger as they age, and the nostalgia that comes with it as we hold on tighter to their sunset days.
The project began in September 2022, when I started to photographically document Bernard’s subtle yet undeniable signs of aging – his graying muzzle, his slower walks, and his increasing need for rest. Fifty dogs and their human family members have been photographed in their favorite places ever since. Many sessions took place in the comfort of their homes, where aging dogs feel safest, surrounded by familiar scents, favorite toys, and warm spots to nap. Others were held in parks, along well-walked streets, in backyards, and even at a train station! Each location reflects the unique routines and memories shared.
Dear Bernard celebrates all senior dogs and the humans who love and care for them. This project also opens our hearts to the beauty of having a senior dog and the importance of advocating for our most faithful best friends.
* Many of the dog participants of Dear Bernard have crossed the rainbow bridge. This exhibition is dedicated to them. *
Artist Bios
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Angelica Briones
Angelica is a Peruvian-born and NYC-raised visual story-teller. She is a self-taught photographer who holds a Visual Storytelling certificate from the International Center of Photography. Angelica combines her artistic expressions of photography and writing with her passions for culture, animals, and travel. She develops photo projects and photo-documentary series in her beloved New York and the different places where she travels.
Angelica’s work explores themes of love and connection. She is moved by witnessing the motivating force that drives a single person, a family, or a community toward joy. Angelica intends for her audience to view her images and stories as relatable, and as an opportunity to understand, learn, and empathize with experiences beyond their own.
Angelica’s body of work includes young indigenous girls learning photography in Oaxaca, Mexico, the story of an orphanage in Tanzania, the love and affection seen in the streets of a country perceived to be dangerous, items of sentimental value carried by immigrants that symbolize their native countries, as well as her current project that consists on a collection of photos of senior dogs and letters written to them by their owners, amongst others.
Organizations
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Photoville
Founded in 2011 in Brooklyn, NY, Photoville was built on the principles of addressing cultural equity and inclusion, which we are always striving for, by ensuring that the artists we exhibit are diverse in gender, class, and race.
In pursuit of its mission, Photoville produces an annual, city-wide open air photography festival in New York City, a wide range of free educational community initiatives, and a nationwide program of public art exhibitions.
By activating public spaces, amplifying visual storytellers, and creating unique and highly innovative exhibition and programming environments, we join the cause of nurturing a new lens of representation.
Through creative partnerships with festivals, city agencies, and other nonprofit organizations, Photoville offers visual storytellers, educators, and students financial support, mentorship, and promotional & production resources, on a range of exhibition opportunities.
For more information about Photoville visit, www.photoville.com
Dear Bernard – Letters to Our Senior Dogs
Featuring: Angelica Briones
Locations
View Location Details Brooklyn Bridge Park – Emily Warren Roebling Plaza1 Water St
Brooklyn, NY 11201
This location is part of Brooklyn Bridge Park
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The views and opinions expressed in this exhibit are those of the exhibition artists and partners and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Photoville or any other participants and partners of the Photoville Festival.
