KC Adams was inspired to create an art installation to get people talking about making negative assumptions about others based on race. On one side, Adams shows each person in a negative light with a derogatory term... then on the other, each oration was told to think of positive things and another image is made along with a description of who each person actually is. These are a great reminder to never assume you know who someone may be based on appearances or heritage.

Thank you to Portage & Main Press and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

KC Adams had had enough. She was tried of hearing all the racist language used against indigenous peoples, both online and in the newspapers. So she came up with a photo essay, where she would show an angry, sullen face of someone who was Indigenous, and then show their smiling face. The first photo would be labeled with the hateful words. The smiling one, labeled with who he or she really is.

The joy of the second photos contrasted with the first is amazing. It is almost like two different people.
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5122" src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Screen-Shot-2019-04-30-at-1.11.33-AM.png" alt="" />

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5123" src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Screen-Shot-2019-04-30-at-1.11.24-AM.png" alt="" />

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5121" src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Screen-Shot-2019-04-30-at-1.11.55-AM.png" alt="" />

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5120" src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Screen-Shot-2019-04-30-at-1.12.06-AM.png" alt="" />

She said she acheived this by having them look at her, while she said hateful things to them. And the second photo she asked them to clear their heads, and relax.

This is truly amazing, and I would recommend this to everyone.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

This is a fantastic book and a real conversation starter. K.C. Adams explores stereotypes of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people through portrait photography. What started off as a social media and poster project at bus stops has now been turned into a book as she photographs people with assumptions that have been made about them written next to the photo before showing the real person and who they really are. It’s a very simple but overwhelming creative and effective idea. It’s made me reflect what assumptions I might hold about certain groups of people and how accurate they are. I really appreciated that this is also not just a book of photographs but also informs the reader how the project got created and why it is so important and what art can do. One person who sat for photos also talked about the experience which is something photography books often don’t include but really adds to the photos. I hadn’t heard of Adams before but shall definitely be looking up more of work.
Thank you very much to Net Galley and High Water Press for providing me with an ARC in return for a honest review.

"Perception" is an interesting collection of photography and essay-like writings. I'll definitely recommend this one to our library patrons.

I admire what KC Adams did when she kept hearing disparaging remarks and slurs against the Native peoples of Canada. As an indigenous person herself, she too, had been subjected to mistreatment and prejudice just be being someone who looks different. She was determined to find a way to get people's perceptions to change. The Native/indigenous people and their cultures were here to stay and non-Native people had to come to terms with and accept that. Adams choose to use her skill as a photographer as a catalyst to address the racism and prejudice head on.

She took a series of two photographs of the same person; one as she said a racist remark, the other as she said something positive about the person. She then put up these pictures as posters around municipal areas. The first picture was headlined with the slur said while filming it, the bottom said "Think again". The second picture (taken when she invoked a positive response in them) told who they were and some things about them. This photography series (now captured in her book Perceptions) helped people recognize their own reactions to Native peoples and realize that they were unfair and untrue.

I love when art is not only creative, but an agent for social change! Kudos, Ms. Adams! Well done!

Many thanks to NetGalley and High Water Press for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed here are strictly my own.