The masked project spotlights creativity in downtown
SPOTLIGHTS CREATIVITY IN DOWNTOWN
At the start of the COVID-19 quarantine, Ashley Murphy said she felt an obligation to herself and her children to come up with a way to document this historic time and to show support for the medical community. What started as a personal mission quickly turned into something much larger. Murphy selected a collection of 15 photographs from her book, “The Masked Project: 100 Portraits” and displayed them across downtown.
“The book is a curated selection of the stories and photographs from 100 individuals throughout central Arkansas,” Murphy said.
She said the Downtown Little Rock Partnership came up with the locations for the photographs, and she came up with which ones would go where. Fifteen photos from the collection were displayed on the side of Rock Town Distillery’s building and in Baker’s Alley, which is located behind the Arkansas Repertory Theatre. Murphy said the photos displayed was a “great cross selection of the diversity we have in Little Rock.”
In an Arkansas Democrat-Gazette article from 2020, Gabe Holmstrom, executive director of the partnership, said The Masked Project “showcases the bond we now all share, having gone through this unprecedented experience, and it’s a unique way to document these times.”
Murphy said people seemed to really love the displays, which lasted much longer than she initially thought they would.
The article also said that in the photos, “Masks range from the simple piece of fabric over mouth and nose to elaborate face coverings and head gear.”
Murphy, who is the owner and artist at M2 Gallery in Little Rock, said photography is one of her passions. She said The Masked Project was a great opportunity to bring her work to a large-scale public environment.
She is currently working on a zodiac series that will be launched at M2 Gallery later this year. For more information, visit Murphy’s website, ashleymurphyimages.com.