The Huntsville Item: Local photographer documents families of victims, executed inmates in new book
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Stefanie Faucher
Dec 8, 2014, 11:19:46 AM12/8/14
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http://www.itemonline.com/news/local-photographer-documents-families-of-victims-executed-inmates-in-new/article_0202152c-7b6d-11e4-80c9-1b04dcfcfc33.html
Local photographer documents families of victims, executed inmates in new book
The Huntsville Item
Posted on Dec 4, 2014
by Stephen Green
It’s hard to find works of art that aren’t meant to take a stance on a highly politicized topic like the death penalty. But that’s what local photographer Barbara Sloan tried to do.
Since 2006, Sloan has been talking and photographing families of executed inmates, plus the families of victims of death row inmates. She has since compiled 40 cases into one book that she will begin selling Saturday at the Texas Prison Museum in Huntsville.
“People can relate to the themes — grieving and dealing with (death),” Sloan said Wednesday. “We all deal with grief and forgiveness, which is enormous.”
The book “Last Statement” started out as an exhibit at the Prison Museum, which is still showing here. In 2006, Sloan and Kelly Prew, a Huntsville Item reporter at the time, approached the Texas Department of Criminal Justice administration, which told the pair that they wouldn’t be allowed to photograph inmates on death row.
However, Prew, who had the job of interviewing inmates before their final day, spoke with Anthony Fuentes. He unknowingly gave the pair the idea that sparked the project. Fuentes told Prew that someone should focus on the families “because they are the forgotten victims.”
Prew told Sloan that she had an angle for the project in lieu of the inmates. Sloan, whose roots are in photojournalism and drove her to the project, loved the idea.
Sloan was interested in doing any journalism project, but got hooked on the death penalty idea while living in Europe. Many people there, she said, always asked about Texas and the death penalty — a hot-button issue overseas.
Sloan’s first two portraits were Fuentes’ grandfather and mother. Prew interviewed the family members, wrote short biographies and histories of the cases, as well as writing down how the family members felt.
Sloan’s mother brought the initial project before the Huntsville Arts Commission that year.
“They were hesitant at first,” Sloan said. “They said it was a true work of art, but that it didn’t need to support one side or the other. It had to be an equal balance of victims’ and offenders’ families. They also had to be released after the execution.”
The project continued until 2013 and was displayed in the prison museum, rotating in new portraits every now and then.
Since then, Sloan has done more than 40 cases, some of which won’t be published. That’s because of the commission’s rule of post-execution release. Some inmates were pardoned or their execution was stayed or still being appealed.
Her friends and others who saw the exhibit encouraged Sloan to put it into book form, which Sloan had never done. Her work historically involved horses in other countries.
Sloan said the portraits are her “most important and significant work.” She has had work published in Time magazine, Andy Warhol’s Interview, Newsweek, People and The New York Times, among others.
The portrait project was actually part of a documentary film called “At the Death House Door.”
The books will be sold for $49.99 at the Texas Prison Museum. On Saturday, Sloan will host a book signing and grand release. After the book signing, the prison museum will be the exclusive book supplier for Sloan.
She will be there from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
--
Stefanie Faucher
Communications Director
8th Amendment Project
sfau...@8thamendment.org
Mobile 510.393.4549
8thamendment.org
Local photographer documents families of victims, executed inmates in new book
The Huntsville Item
Posted on Dec 4, 2014
by Stephen Green
It’s hard to find works of art that aren’t meant to take a stance on a highly politicized topic like the death penalty. But that’s what local photographer Barbara Sloan tried to do.
Since 2006, Sloan has been talking and photographing families of executed inmates, plus the families of victims of death row inmates. She has since compiled 40 cases into one book that she will begin selling Saturday at the Texas Prison Museum in Huntsville.
“People can relate to the themes — grieving and dealing with (death),” Sloan said Wednesday. “We all deal with grief and forgiveness, which is enormous.”
The book “Last Statement” started out as an exhibit at the Prison Museum, which is still showing here. In 2006, Sloan and Kelly Prew, a Huntsville Item reporter at the time, approached the Texas Department of Criminal Justice administration, which told the pair that they wouldn’t be allowed to photograph inmates on death row.
However, Prew, who had the job of interviewing inmates before their final day, spoke with Anthony Fuentes. He unknowingly gave the pair the idea that sparked the project. Fuentes told Prew that someone should focus on the families “because they are the forgotten victims.”
Prew told Sloan that she had an angle for the project in lieu of the inmates. Sloan, whose roots are in photojournalism and drove her to the project, loved the idea.
Sloan was interested in doing any journalism project, but got hooked on the death penalty idea while living in Europe. Many people there, she said, always asked about Texas and the death penalty — a hot-button issue overseas.
Sloan’s first two portraits were Fuentes’ grandfather and mother. Prew interviewed the family members, wrote short biographies and histories of the cases, as well as writing down how the family members felt.
Sloan’s mother brought the initial project before the Huntsville Arts Commission that year.
“They were hesitant at first,” Sloan said. “They said it was a true work of art, but that it didn’t need to support one side or the other. It had to be an equal balance of victims’ and offenders’ families. They also had to be released after the execution.”
The project continued until 2013 and was displayed in the prison museum, rotating in new portraits every now and then.
Since then, Sloan has done more than 40 cases, some of which won’t be published. That’s because of the commission’s rule of post-execution release. Some inmates were pardoned or their execution was stayed or still being appealed.
Her friends and others who saw the exhibit encouraged Sloan to put it into book form, which Sloan had never done. Her work historically involved horses in other countries.
Sloan said the portraits are her “most important and significant work.” She has had work published in Time magazine, Andy Warhol’s Interview, Newsweek, People and The New York Times, among others.
The portrait project was actually part of a documentary film called “At the Death House Door.”
The books will be sold for $49.99 at the Texas Prison Museum. On Saturday, Sloan will host a book signing and grand release. After the book signing, the prison museum will be the exclusive book supplier for Sloan.
She will be there from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
--
Stefanie Faucher
Communications Director
8th Amendment Project
sfau...@8thamendment.org
Mobile 510.393.4549
8thamendment.org
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