In early December, Brigham Young University photography student J. Michael Wiltbank put up his photography show, pairing “BYU students who identify themselves as homosexual and a person that supports them.” The pairings appeared without labels, as Wiltbank felt captioning would “create separation and division;” in this sense, the project’s ambiguity is part of it’s mission of inclusiveness. It’s artist statement reads:
“Civilization is the process in which one gradually increases the number of people included in the term ‘we’ or ‘us’ and at the same time decreases those labeled ‘you’ or ‘them’ until that category has no one left in it.”
— Howard Winters
The project’s approachable images were met warmly by most of his peers, but the project — which hung with Wiltbank’s classmates’ work — was taken down within a week by school officials. What first appeared as censorship by the administration was later characterized as a “misunderstanding” by BYU. Wiltbank’s story was picked up first by a Seattle news blog , and word of Wiltbank’s “censorship” quickly spread through local Utah papers, gay newspapers, magazines, and blogs, and though the photo blogosphere. Wiltbank’s blog itself saw an explosion of comments expressing views from across the artistic and political spectrum. This outburst helped put the wheels in motion that led to the rehanging of Wiltbank’s work. The Photoletariat snagged an interview with Wiltbank in which he discusses the show’s inception, reception, and why the he feels there was more controversy written in to his story than it warranted.
Sophia Betz: I really like the quote you chose by Howard Winters as your show’s artist statement. Was this the inspiration for your idea to do the show? Or did you find that it complimented your idea after the fact?
J. Michael Wiltbank: This quote was actually found in a book by a Latter-Day Saint author Carol Lynn Pearson “No More Goodbye’s Circling the Wagons Around Our Gay Loved Ones.” I felt the quote fit perfectly through this project.
SB: Perhaps my favorite aspect of your project was the decision to pair together two people, one gay student at BYU and one student of unknown sexual orientation who supports the first individual. An important part of this is that the viewer doesn’t know who’s who. How did this idea come to light for you and how did it evolve?
MW: When I thought of this project, I wanted to start a discussion on the topic of homosexuality among the community at Brigham Young University. I decided to pair two people from the very beginning of the project. This idea came about because I wanted to visually break stereotypes by not labeling the individuals in the images. As you can see from the images, the portraits were shot with the same framing and lighting. This was purposefully done to eliminate any variables that would make one image look different from the other. I also thought it was important to show a support person to illustrate that we are all the same. As stated in the quote by Howard Winters, there is no “us” or “them;” we are all human beings. To reiterate from my artists statement, these individuals were family members, friends, classmates, etc.
SB: Was the idea for this project influenced by the passing of Proposition 8 in California and some Utah Mormons’ support of it?
MW: This project was conceived because of the timely issue of homosexuality which is not exclusive to the LDS Church or Prop 8.
SB: Your photos are both very approachable (and, I think, non-controversial in and of themselves) and, by the nature of today’s national social environment, very political. Did you have a specific awareness-raising goal in mind when you decided to pursue the project? Or did it come from a more personal place?
MW: I didn’t (and don’t) have a political agenda associated with this project. I wanted the images to be approachable and easy to look at. I wanted them to be non-confrontational like you were looking at an image of a friend, neighbor, peer, or family member.
SB: How did you set up the shots?
MW: The images were shot in studio using two Kino-Flo film lighting kits. I choose to use film lights as opposed to strobes, because I liked the illuminating quality that was achieved by using these lights.
SB: I know you used a tilt-shift lens. Why did you settle on this choice?
MW: I used a Canon 90 Tilt shift lens. This was a choice I made early on, because I wanted only the eyes of each portrait to be in focus. I wanted to force the viewer to have to look into the eyes of each of these individuals.
SB: Were any of the subjects you approached reluctant to participate?
MW: Of course, not everyone feels comfortable in front of a camera.
SB: Did you use any post-production techniques (Photoshop editing, etc.)?
MW: Yes, I color corrected the images using the Camera Raw settings to make all the images have the same color scheme. Also I retouched the images.
SB: Over what span of time did you develop and complete this project?
MW: The project was started for a Fine-art Photography class this last August. I feel this project is still ongoing.
SB: I was stuck by the fact that the University didn’t notify you when they took your work down. When BYU called the removal of your work a “miscommunication,” do you agree with this assessment?
MW: I thank the leadership of BYU’s College of Fine Arts and Communications for their willingness to reconsider and then reverse the initial decision to remove the artwork. The whole point of my project and the exhibit was to promote dialogue and discussion and, I hoped, increased understanding among those who might otherwise feel their differences were too great to overcome. I think the administration’s action has been a good example of that increased understanding. I hope that all students, faculty, staff and guests who can now view the project again will follow that example and will also be prompted to the same kind of respectful consideration, tolerance and willingness to reconsider personal perspectives.
SB: Did it seem that prejudice played a role in your work being temporarily taken down?
MW: I do not think it did, although when I posted the post on my blog I was unaware of why the project was removed. I think that a miscommunication did occur and I am grateful to the administration of BYU.
SB: What was the process you went through to have your photos reinstated?
MW: The Administration of BYU’s College of Fine Art and Communications approached me and offered to re-hang the exhibit and I accepted.
SB: How have you responded to people who have suggested your project or your views are in conflict with the Mormon faith?
MW: I have not responded because I do not feel the subject matter is in conflict with the Mormon Faith. This project’s overall theme was one of tolerance and love which I feel it has expressed.
SB: What has been the response of your professors and peers to your work?
MW: As a whole this has been a very great experience and individuals have been very supportive.
SB: Do you feel that American society at large thinks of people of the Mormon faith as overall more homophobic than they are in reality?
MW: I do not think you can ever group an entire group of people under an umbrella phrase. Within every group there are those who may see things from a different perspective. While I cannot speak for the LDS Church as a whole or any of its members I can say that through this project I have had those who have been very supportive and understanding, and those who have not. This is a sensitive subject and I know that not everyone sees things exactly the same.
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