Diane Sabenacio Nititham wears many hats. She is an associate professor of sociology at Murray State, a photographer, Filipina Thai American, and "scholar mama." Nititham combines her interests in sociology, photography, and culture in her new exhibit on display at the Murray Art Guild, "Emergent SocialScapes."
Nititham explains that her love of photography started when her parents gifted her a 35mm camera when she was seven years old. "I loved framing pictures, taking pictures of friends."
When she began researching the Filipino community in Ireland, she said she hadn't thought of it as "me as a photographer, but more so, I was capturing moments that I could remember better or it would supplement the work I was doing qualitatively."
Nititham first discovered the surprisingly large Filipino community in Ireland while spending the summer in Ireland during grad school. "After my summer was over, I went back to Chicago and started looking at what research was available. There wasn't really a lot."
"I learned that during the economic boom of the Celtic Tiger, there were a lot of labor shortages. Filipinos had been recruited to work in health care and hospitality, but I didn't see anything else. I became interested in their stories and how I could help share those stories. That's how I became interested in looking at that population."
Nititham's story-telling and socioeconomic perspective are two exhibit elements that MAG Executive Director Debi Henri-Danielson particularly enjoys. "Art can serve so many purposes," Henri-Danielson says. "It's so much more than visual response. When you take the time to delve into the conceptual issues, it can educate us. ["Emergent SocialScapes"] is a different exhibit for us, and I really appreciate that."
"Emergent SocialScapes" is on display at the Murray Art Guild now through October 30th. There is an exhibit reception tonight, Friday, October 22nd, at 5 pm. "Everybody's welcome," Henri-Danielson says. "It's free and open to the public."
"I'm really thankful to the Murray Art Guild for having this opportunity to share," Nititham concludes. "When I thought about showcasing some of this research, the images reflect different moments. Some of them were intentional. Others just capture moments that might have been fleeting. Viewers can enter the space and witness different narratives as they exist together."
The Murray Art Guild is located at 500 N. 4th Street, Murray, Kentucky. For more information on the exhibit or the guild, visit the MAG website or Facebook page.
