As we celebrate our 50th Anniversary, we’re collecting the stories that have shaped the PRC over the past five decades.Whether you had your first exhibition here, taught a workshop, met a mentor, or simply found a place where you belonged, we’d love to hear your story.

Thu, Jul 23 • 6 PM

The Soul Selects Their Own Society is a collaborative exhibition between the Photographic Resource Center and Behind VA Shadows, co-curated by Yolanda He Yang and Shelby Feltoon.

Register Here

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About Dana Smith

Dana Smith is an editorial illustrator and photographer based in Boston, MA. His art and images appear in publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. He also works with many universities including Harvard, Brown, Colgate, Penn State, and USC. His work has been showcased in American Photography and Communication Arts. In addition to his vast editorial background, he has the daily grind of 10 years of newspaper photojournalism experience behind him. He was affiliated with the legendary Black Star agency for 15 years. Smith was an instructor at the New England School of Photography for 20 years and now teaches in the MassArt Pre-Semester program as well as various other workshops.

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About the Workshop

Discover an environmentally conscious approach to analog photography by developing black-and-white film using low-toxicity chemistry made from foraged plants and common household ingredients. In this hands-on workshop, you’ll shoot, develop, and scan your own film while learning sustainable darkroom techniques that reduce chemical and water use.

No previous darkroom experience is necessary. This is an experimental process, and participants are encouraged to embrace the unexpected nature of plant-based development.

You’ll Learn

• Sustainable film development using plant-based chemistry
• Loading and developing 35mm film
• Mixing plant-based developers
• Water-saving darkroom techniques
• Troubleshooting experimental development
• Scanning film for digital output
• What to Bring
• A 35mm film camera with a working light meter
• Reusable gloves (recommended)
• A towel

If you don’t have a camera, a limited number are available to borrow through Lesley University. Please indicate this during registration.

All chemistry, film, and additional materials are provided.

About Elysabeth:

Elysabeth Cianci is an interdisciplinary visual artist working at the confluence of photographic process and ecology. She received a BA in creative writing from Gordon College, and an MFA in Photography and Integrated Media from Lesley University, College of Art and Design where she studied under photographer and author Christopher James. During graduate school her interests expanded into the disciplines of printmaking and book arts leading to a career as an educator in visual arts. Dividing her time between her home in the mountains of Vermont and the Boston area, Cianci serves as Visiting Lecturer at Massachusetts College of Art and Design and Lesley Art + Design, additionally, she is on staff at the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts at Harvard University. Her work is held in the public collections of the Fine Arts Library, Harvard University and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Tufts University. Cianci has been awarded artist residencies at In Cahoots Residency, Zea Mays Printmaking, and Penland School of Craft. She is the recipient of a Grants for Creative Individuals from Mass Cultural Council and an Artist Resource Trust Grant For Individuals from the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation.

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Opening Reception: Friday, July 17th, 6 – 8 PM

Curatorial Statement

The Soul Selects Their Own Society is an exchange exhibition between Photographic Resource Center and Behind VA Shadows. Bringing together artists working across lens-based and interdisciplinary practices, the exhibition considers interiority as both a personal and social condition: how can art become a vehicle for investigating individuality, private identity, intimacy, and emotional interior worlds while also acknowledging the public systems we move through daily?

The works in the exhibition approach interiority expansively through figurative, architectural, objective, documentary, and abstract forms. Some artists reflect on warmth, domesticity, memory, and relationships as spaces of refuge and self-recognition. Others examine the tensions between inner life and public existence, asking what must be concealed, performed, or set aside in order to function within larger social, cultural, and institutional structures. Rather than defining interiority as a fixed psychological state, The Soul Selects Their Own Society approaches it as an ongoing process shaped by labor, migration, care, solitude, observation, and lived experience. The exhibition invites viewers to consider what allows a person to know themselves more deeply, and how private emotional landscapes continue to shape the ways we encounter one another in public life.

This show is co-curated by Behind VA Shadows’ 
Yolanda He Yang, Founder and Lead Artist 
Shelby Feltoon, Curatorial Lead

About Behind VA Shadows:

Behind VA Shadows is an artists-run public art project founded in December 2021 by a group of Visitor Assistants at the ICA, Boston. Our initiative aims to break down barriers between art and the public, showcasing the creative work of museum workers while extending accessibility beyond institutional walls. By holding the alternative space for the public to engage with the creative identity of museum workers, we advocate for communal care to counter the issues of burnout within art museums and institutions.

GALLERY

Bell Pitkin

Maggie Lu

Jorge Ariel Escobar

Monica Hamilton

John Savoia

Mel Taing

Mel Taing

Monica Hamilton

Mel Taing

Beth Belaschky

Beth Belaschky

Bell Pitkin

Kannetha Brown

Marissa Cote

Shane Guidaboni

Megan Hyde

Maggie Lu

Will Machado

Jarrod White

M. McCall Hollister

Shane Guidaboni

Bridget Jourgensen

M. McCall Hollister

Erica McKeehen

Brioch Ochoa

Shane Guidaboni

Erica McKeehen

Erica McKeehen

Gaby Carlos Silva

Bell Pitkin

Maggie Lu

Jorge Ariel Escobar

Monica Hamilton

John Savoia

Mel Taing

Mel Taing

Monica Hamilton

Mel Taing

Beth Belaschky

Beth Belaschky

Bell Pitkin

Kannetha Brown

Marissa Cote

Shane Guidaboni

Megan Hyde

Maggie Lu

Will Machado

Jarrod White

M. McCall Hollister

Shane Guidaboni

Bridget Jourgensen

M. McCall Hollister

Erica McKeehen

Brioch Ochoa

Shane Guidaboni

Erica McKeehen

Erica McKeehen

Gaby Carlos Silva

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Residency Overview

Back for its second year, the Photographic Resource Center’s Artist-in-Residence Program provides two artists working in photography and lens-based media with four weeks of dedicated studio space inside the PRC gallery.

The residency is designed to support artistic growth, experimentation, and the development of new work. Artists are encouraged to use the time to explore new ideas, techniques, and directions in their practice while benefiting from focused studio time, access to resources, and mentorship from established professionals in the field.

New this year, through a collaboration with Lesley University, selected artists will have access to a digital lab, darkroom, and alternative process lab, expanding the possibilities for research, experimentation, and production during the residency.

Ideal for artists pursuing ambitious projects or seeking an environment that fosters creative exploration, the residency culminates in an exhibition, offering residents the opportunity to share their work and engage with the public.

Each Selected Artist Will Receive:

• Exclusive use of half of the PRC gallery (approx. 400 sq ft per person) for studio and exhibition preparation
• Access to a darkroom, alternative process lab, and digital lab at Lesley University
• $500 stipend
• Individual exhibition-planning sessions and weekly feedback meetings with PRC Executive Director
• Opportunity to lead one public program (open studio, demo, community event, etc)
• Final dual exhibition (Nov 14 – 23) including shared opening reception and artist talks
• Feature coverage across PRC social media, newsletter, and press channels
• Professional documentation of final exhibition
  

Application Fee:

• $20 for PRC members; $30 for non-members
  
  Application fees help offset the administrative costs of running the residency and supporting the PRC’s year-round programs.
  
  Artist stipends and exhibition expenses for the 2026 Artist-in-Residence Program are generously supported by a donor contribution.

FAQ

Can collaborators apply?
Yes, collaborators count as one artist slot and share the stipend.

Do I need to live in Boston?
No—This is a non-live-in residency. Artists arrange their own housing and transportation but are expected to make regular use of the gallery space throughout the residency.

IF YOU ARE SELECTED TO PARTICIPATE:
Selected and non-selected artists will be notified via email.
We expect notifications to go out between September 12 – 15.
No phone calls please.

Questions? Email programs@prcboston.org
Subject line: “2026 AIR”

Date : October 17, 2026

Venue : The Center for Arts at the Armory, Somerville, MA 02143