“Jodie Mim Goodnough: Paper Trail” explores the subjectivity of historical archives

The Department of Art and Art History will present “Jodie Mim Goodnough: Paper Trail” in the Dorrance H. Hamilton Gallery Feb. 27 to March 26. The interactive photography exhibition will open with a public reception from 5-7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27.

In fall 2024, Jodie Mim Goodnough, associate professor in the Department of Art and Art History, took a sabbatical to explore the idea of historical preservation proposed by world-renowned anthropologist, historian and writer Michel-Rolph Trouillot. She composed a personal photographic archive, scanning over 30 years of negatives and assembling these and her digital images into a complete archive of her photographic work thus far.

In his 1995 book “Silencing the Past: Power and Production of History,” Trouillot said, “Silences enter the process of historical production at four crucial moments: the moment of fact creation (the making of sources); the moment of fact assembly (the making of archives); the moment of fact retrieval (the making of narratives); and the moment of introspective significance (the making of history in the final instance).”

Visitors to the exhibition will be asked to take part in moment No. 3, the making of narratives, by creating their own collections from the hundreds of physical prints present in the gallery.

Goodnough’s interest in the subjectivity of archives, both personal and institutional, has evolved through her years teaching documentary photography and image literacy to Salve Regina students. “Every major historical event since the invention of the camera in 1839 has been partially defined by the images that we have in history books,” she said. “I want my students to wonder what images weren’t taken, or were taken but didn’t make the newspaper editor’s cut. In a time where the whole idea of ‘truth’ is slippery, we can’t just be passive consumers of visual information, and the best way to understand the subjectivity of visual storytelling is to put yourself in the role of the person making the decisions.”

Often, to emphasize the medium’s troubled relationship to the truth, she has asked her students to perform the same task requested of visitors here – to select images from a larger set that illustrate their point of view, regardless of the original intent of the photographer. After the exhibition will come moment No. 4, introspective significance, as these viewer-created collections inform the artist’s future projects.

“Even though we know images can be manipulated or faked, we still instinctively think of images as evidence – especially historical images – but every image you see is a choice,” Goodnough said. “The camera reveals what is in front of the lens, but it’s operated by a human who has made many, many decisions in the process of taking it, and by necessity, eliminates other views and experiences of the same moment.”

Goodnough is a multidisciplinary artist based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. She attended the photography program at the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies in Portland, Maine in 2007 and received her MFA from Tufts University in 2013.

“I began thinking deeply about this topic when I attended the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies, and my interest has only grown since then,” she said. “I took a class in grad school with Dr. Christina Sharpe that helped me think about the ways we create memory, especially public memory, and who controls what information gets saved and elevated. I don’t think I realized it at the time, but working with her was a pivotal point in my education. It encouraged me to take a step back and think about all of the ways in which images function in our society beyond just artistic production. When I began teaching at Salve, I always knew I would incorporate image literacy and media analysis into my classes, because students today are bombarded by more visual information than ever before.”

Goodnough is also the recipient of a Pollock-Krasner Foundation artist grant, a RISCA grant in photography and an alumni traveling fellowship from Tufts University, and has attended residencies at Ucross Foundation, Wassaic Project and ChaNorth, among others. Her work has been shown nationally in both solo and group exhibitions, including at Spring/Break Art Show in New York, ArtPort Kingston and in the solo exhibition Biophilia at the Newport Art Museum.

The Dorrance H. Hamilton Gallery is an integral part of the greater Newport cultural community, featuring the work of Salve Regina students, faculty and alumni as well as outstanding regional, national and international artists. Located in the Antone Academic Center at Salve Regina, it is handicap accessible with parking along Lawrence and Leroy avenues. Exhibits are open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m.