TURNERS FALLS — While a picture may typically be worth 1,000 words, Turners Falls photographer Anja Schütz said her latest project is “much more about the captions.”
In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 24 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which recognized a constitutional right to abortion, Schütz has been compiling a series of photos depicting residents wearing “Pro-Roe” T-shirts. Phrases such as “abortion saves lives,” “abort the court” and “my choice reigns supreme,” printed in bold black letters, pop when juxtaposed with otherwise plain T-shirts.
Posted to Facebook, Instagram and anjaschutz.com, each photo accompanies a caption contributed by the featured model.
Schütz said she didn’t carry out a typical selection process following a call for models in advance of this project. Instead, she opted to include anybody who reached out with a desire to say their piece.
“I think what we see out of all these captions together is that there’s this incredible and rich community in the valley that really supports human rights,” she said.
A long scrollbar awaits those who visit the “portraits” tab of Schütz’s website. As of Monday, around 30 entries, all with names withheld, have been cataloged as part of the Pro-Roe project, unifying to serve as what Schütz called “a mirror for so many of the rest of us.” In addition to featuring a model, each photo is set in the model’s home to ensure that every shoot is as intimate and personal as possible for those involved, according to the photographer.
“I didn’t know what to tell Anja after I sat to take this photo about my experience,” one entry reads. “I remember most painfully how isolating my own abortion was six years ago. My partner at the time of my abortion went completely emotionally MIA. It was devastating. I have never felt so alone in my life.”
“I was not unlike most college girls who are solely left with the burden of a decision after the action of two people,” reads another. “Being an unwanted child myself, I vowed never to do that to another human being. I stand proudly by my decision decades later.”
Schütz admitted to being “not a terribly outspoken person verbally,” having been relatively apolitical up until recently. In 2016, she decided to speak up using art with her #GrabHimByTheBallot campaign, “a “complete knee-jerk reaction” to then-presidential candidate Donald Trump’s recorded boasting about sexually assaulting women.
The project, which featured studio shots of nude women with their private parts obscured by the hashtag and a ballot, unified more than 200 women and was featured in the Greenfield Recorder, Boston Globe and Glamour Magazine. Six years later, heeding the fallout of Roe v. Wade’s overturning has been “a good wake-up for someone like (Schütz) who has always lived comfortably,” she said.
Greenfield Precinct 5 City Councilor Marianne Bullock, a former health care worker and midwife assistant who disclosed her participation in the Pro-Roe project, said her decision to model was motivated by a desire to provide such a wake-up call to others who might not sympathize with the message.
“I guess what I hope people on the other side of the spectrum will see is that there are so many reasons why people have an abortion and it’s not just a flippant decision that people make,” she said.
Local radio personality and Shea Theater Arts Center President Christopher “Monte” Belmonte, who also disclosed his participation, observed that “it’s easy to see a black and white on this until you hear people’s experiences.”
He was taught to think this way himself, he said, recalling “a radical born-again experience” that followed his Catholic upbringing. Talking to women, Belmonte explained, is how he eventually recognized the hypocrisy within anti-abortion teachings, as well as related policies made by “the umpires of this nation” in the Supreme Court.
“What is clear to me,” Belmonte said, “is we have a country that talks to me about how everybody has these freedoms, but when we talk about this freedom, they ultimately don’t want to recognize this freedom.”
As of now, Schütz plans to continue working on the project until “interest dies down.” Next week, she has shoots scheduled in New York City to expand the range of voices. She also encourages those interested in sharing their perspectives to do so by contacting her at anjaphotodesign@gmail.com.
“I think it’s very important to document in times like these that people have a position on the right side of this line,” Schütz said. “The people who shout are the most heard, but I feel like this is a good rebuff to show that we have a voice, too.”
Reach Julian Mendoza at 413-772-0261, ext. 261 or jmendoza@recorder.com.