By Steve Flairty
NKyTribune columnist
As Kentucky Derby inches closer, I can’t think of a better way for Northern Kentuckians to embrace the equine pageantry than attending the April 23 fundraising event, “Down the Stretch with i.imagine.” The main event occurs from 6:30 to 9:00 pm at the Triple Crown Country Club, in Union, with cocktail hour preceding it from 5:30 to 6:30 pm. Patrons will be treated to the opportunity to hear from Walton native and iconic Triple Crown jockey, Steve Cauthen.
And what makes the event even more special is the uplifting organization for which the fundraiser supports, called i.imagine, founded by Shannon Eggleston in 2014. I caught up with her last week, and this is what she told me about the organization’s mission.
Ten years ago, she saw “an identified need for teens to learn photography, but also about themselves as individuals. Prior to this, I taught elementary school, founded a portrait business, and eventually taught photography and graphic design at the high school, in that order.”
And then Shannon had an epiphany of sorts.
“When I started teaching photography to teens, we became a ‘posse of creators’ that felt like family,” she said. “Many of my students needed this space for reasons beyond the final product of a compelling image. Teens–and grownups—need to be seen in the world and recognized as artists, but also as human beings with incredible talent and purpose.”
That said, there is a uniqueness, a “something” that fills a community need. “This ‘something’,” she explained, “is what I imagine they’re capable of, and our mission is to help them discover it too.”
But there’s even more to her program, according to Shannon. “No great image is created without an idea, a feeling, a story that needs to be told. From Henri Cartier Bresson to today’s Instagram influencers, their images have a purpose, and so do ours!”
Shannon set up the i.imagine program in 2014 with a goal to “bring photography and education together in a way that is accessible, affordable, and equitable to any teen grades six to twelve in our region.” She hoped it would help “just one teen the way I found myself through the lens.” The program has far surpassed that, pleasing her and her supporters. Over 1500 teens, primarily in Northern Kentucky, have been “inspired, educated, and empowered” through after school club programs, summer camps, and special community projects.
The ”i.imagine Center of Photography” opened its first brick and mortar location in September of 2022 in Union. The building includes a 15-person capacity teaching darkroom, a portrait studio, a Mac lab for postproduction computer editing, and classroom space.
Now with a good template for years of success, the upcoming event will be, in many respects, a tribute to i.imagine’s mission as well as a fundraiser. It promises to be, in a word, fun. There’ll be a silent auction that can be accessed online for those that are unable to join in person. Items include signed memorabilia and original artwork, refurbished vintage cameras, 1980 Olympics Kodak official merchandise, rare bourbon, and more.
Proceeds will specifically benefit i.imagine’s students and 2024-2025 after-school programs. Visit www.iimaginephotography.org for more information, and along with it, visit www.kentuckymonthly.com for a feature article in Kentucky Monthly about i.imagine.
Books are available for purchase at the event site via Roebling Books & Coffee.
