Two years ago I had the opportunity to explore a region of St. Louis that I had never been to before, all thanks to a throw of a dart onto a map projected on a wall. You can read all about it, and see the results in this post.
It was a great experience, from the camaraderie of the original dart-throwing gathering, to getting back together for the big reveal of all the photos.
And so I was excited to see that DART St. Louis wasn’t a one-off, but was back for 2011. The opening dart-throwing event was larger than what I remembered the first one as, but still a fun time to catch up with old friends and ex-co-workers, and to meet new folks, too.
Here’s how the organizers describe the event:
DART St. Louis is a participatory photography challenge. Creative St Louisans gather biannually at FK Photo Studio to throw darts at a giant map of St Louis City. Over the following month, participants visit the location where their dart landed and make a photograph within a one-block radius. Everyone then reconvenes for a happy hour and slide show to celebrate the experiment’s results.
A camera is a powerful tool that gives the photographer a reason to explore topics and places that are unknown. By the mere act of photographing, things that were unknown become captured, understood, and made personal. By experiencing new areas and meeting new St. Louisans, we can see more clearly the hope and promise of our own neighborhoods and our own neighbors.
This is all St. Louis, and it’s ours.
This year each dart throw was also a donation to help the non-profit organization Rebuilding Together – St. Louis, with $2,200 raised for a worthy cause. My dart landed in North St. Louis, at the corner of Natural Bridge and Fair.
You could only submit one photo. But sometimes it’s hard to decide, so I’ve included my top three picks in this post.
Which one do you like best?
And which one did I send? That, my friends, will be revealed on June 1, when we all get back together at FK Photo Studio for the big slideshow. Hope to see you there.
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