Francesca Morris // Milwaukee, WI

Covid-19 was a curse and a blessing. The curse is self-explanatory and doesn’t need to be expounded upon. The losses, unsurmountable. Blessings don’t necessarily add up, to be clear.

The blessing, for me in terms of this project, though, has been tremendous. This project has evolved immensely because of things that occurred to me during Covid lockdown. For example, I went on a book-purchasing rampage, adding over 50 titles to my personal photo book library. As a result, I came to know the work of Rodney Smith, a photographer who has greatly inspired me - probably influencing me unbeknownst in the creation of this image.

Another blessing to this pause in the world was that flights were incredibly inexpensive (this particular flight costing me less than $100 round trip), and being able to add a plethora of ballerinas that I wouldn’t have ever added to this book project. My initial plan was to finish shooting by the end of 2020. I think, now, the book will be filled with more than 68.9% of images that were created in 2020 and on.

A third blessing has been the availability of ballerinas. Almost always on a whim, ballerinas were more than willing to create art, with all the time in the world. As studios shuttered their doors, dancers had the need to dance, and the world became their stage.

I reached out to Francesca just two days before this trip, and with great excitement she said yes to being a part of this project. Although the museum was not open to be photographed, the French-styled-gardens of The Milwaukee Art Museum were a perfect backdrop for this reflection of quiet allure.

No, Covid-19 was and never has been a good thing. But when I pause and reflect, I can see the beauty that was made amidst the darkness.

September 11, 2020