wiltonproud.2022

“I am proud…”

Wilton Art® has partnered with acclaimed photographer and Wilton Manors resident Sharron Demarest to create a bold, yet intimate, photographic montage of individuals who enrich the Wilton Manors community.

wiltonproud.2022 presents photographic portraits of the wide and diverse range of individuals that make up our community -- those that live, work, eat and play in Wilton Manors. Their day-to-day lives may not at first glance seemingly intersect, but each is deeply woven into the fabric of the City, creating a vivid tapestry of an inclusive, proud, diverse and flourishing community of interconnected individuals.

We salute those from all walks of life that make Wilton Manors a treasure!

Our vision and hope for this project was strong, but once we got into the discovery and photography stages, we found that each person came forward and had a beautiful story to tell. Their answers to the simple question “What makes you proud?” opened up strong connections, reaffirming how art can start discussions, engage others and powerfully challenge each and every one of us.

wiltonproud.2022 will feature portraits of nearly three dozen individuals placed throughout the City. Each individual will share their unique “I am proud…….” statement that will appear below their image. A central installation at Wilton Manors City Hall, consisting of large format posters on the front windows, will anchor the project. Dozens of other posters will be found in business windows throughout the City.

wiltonproud.2022—on-site installation

wiltonproud.2022 will be installed in June 2022 to coincide with the celebration of LGBTQ+ pride. It will reinforce that being proud has no boundaries and encourage all to embrace pride together and “listen” and see the pride that makes up Wilton Manors. 2022.

Powerfully equal, beautifully together, we are indeed all connected.

Celebrate all.

Photographer Sharron Demarest

SHARRON DEMAREST lives and works in Wilton Manors, Florida. Born in Maine, she misspent her youth as a military brat moving around the country before settling in New York City. Seventeen years ago Sharon and her spouse relocated to Florida to be near family.

Sharron’s passion for photography was ignited during her senior year of high school when she acquired a plastic $3.98 Diana camera. The pictures were lousy, but she was hooked.

Sharron got her professional start in photography by working as a darkroom technician in NYC. During her free time, she roamed the city photographing the people and places she came to know and love.

Her early portraits and later works are in held in private collections, principally NYC and Florida. Sharron has received numerous awards, including internationally in the Julia Margaret Cameron Award for Women Photographers.

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