Regina Maza Conlon, Pastor, Beacon Hill Church of the Nazarene

Subject Statement: Everything was going well and then COVID happened. I have been working for change within the institution I felt called to. I felt called into pastoral ministry. There is deep change that has to happen within the Church, and I want to be a part of it. What is interesting in this season of COVID-19, is that it has really pushed the Church to reexamine their role and evaluate what the institution can become which brings hope to me for the future. Artist Statement:  I approached this project with the belief that collaboration with the photo subject is imperative for creating more authentic images. I took this a step further and asked my community to help me define the word “essential workers” and asked them to nominate themselves or others to be photographed. Wanting my images to match the ethnic and cultural demographics of my neighborhood, I used the 2010 Census data to assist me in selecting participants.