Team

Curatorial

Produced by Shore Art Advisory: Virginia Shore, Jill Wiley White, Renee Devine, Robin Goldman, and Leah Kolb

Community Photography

Laura Morton is a San Francisco–based documentary photographer whose work explores the intersection of culture, economics, and the evolving American experience. Her work examines themes of wealth, technology, tourism, and identity in America, earning recognition including the 2018 Canon Female Photojournalist Award and support from the National Geographic Society. Morton’s photography has been published internationally in National Geographic, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and Marie Claire.

Morton will attend all 12 artist assemblies over the course of Why We Gather. Working closely with the artists and the curator, she will provide a consistent visual record of the national project.

Oral histories

Communal Pen is rooted in the belief that every person in South Carolina has a story worth telling, and that together these stories form the rich tapestry of the state’s community life and history. By collecting and preserving these voices, Communal Pen is building a statewide story library where lived experiences can be shared, honored, and remembered. The organization creates a platform where the voices of South Carolinians can find a home, fostering connection and belonging through storytelling. Grounded in the understanding that people cannot thrive in isolation, Communal Pen brings individuals together to share and listen, forging new community through a collective sense of history and place. From the marshlands and farms to the islands and mountain regions, these diverse stories are lifted up and woven together—written, shared, and preserved with one communal pen.

Communal Pen will support Why We Gather’s twelve gatherings to collect local histories.