Curated by Melanie Jenner
Beaverlodge Arts and Cultural Centre
July 24 – August 25, 2022
In 2021, photojournalist Jesse Boily took over 60,000 photographs for his position with the local newspaper, Town & Country News. The small collection in One Year Back highlights some of Jesse’s favourite news photos taken in the South Peace region of Alberta.
The exhibition captures the news stories from the City of Grande Prairie, County of Grande Prairie, Sexsmith, Hythe, Beaverlodge, and Wembley.
The images are of the people and community stories in his first year as a photojournalist in the area and includes events like parades and celebrations, sporting events, agriculture and wildlife rehabilitation. Jesse also covered the candlelight vigil held in May 2021 for the 215 children found in unmarked graves, and political protests, like the Ditch the Draft protest looking for the province to stop the implementation of the proposed kindergarten to grade 6 draft curriculums.
One Year Back also points to Jesse’s first year moving back to the Peace Region after living in Calgary and Winnipeg for 5 years.
Newspapers have been hit hard in recent years with more people expecting their news to be free. In years past, people would buy multiple papers to keep up to date. Now, with the rise of digital media, newspapers are giving their product away for free, paying journalist less, and minimizing newsroom staff for better profits. The first to go in many newsrooms were the photojournalists.
Photojournalism captures events and stories in the moment it happens and in many ways is the first draft of history. In photojournalism, ethics of photography are always at the forefront of every photo. To ensure the trust of the viewers, they aim to make photographs that are true to the events that our eyes see. Photojournalists do not edit photos beyond correcting colour and lighting to ensure the story is visually optimal.
Jesse has a clear respect and enthusiasm for both photojournalism and his colleagues in the industry. The images in One Year Back receive a new presentation as they make their way from the pages of newsprint and digital screens, to become matted and framed storytelling artworks.
“I hope that you look at these images and know they have not been edited beyond the scope of ethics in photojournalism. It is an honour and privilege to tell these stories and capture these moments,” said Jesse.
Meet the Artist
Jesse Boily is a local photojournalist with a strong passion for storytelling images. He studied photojournalism at the Southern Alberta Institution of Technology (SAIT) and has worked for Canada’s third-biggest daily newspaper, the Winnipeg Free Press. Currently, Jesse works at Town & Country News as a reporter/photographer.
Jesse moved to the region in 2006 and has lived in Sexsmith, Beaverlodge, and Grande Prairie. Before working as a photojournalist, he worked in the oil and gas industry, which would fund a life-changing and months-long tour of Asia and Europe in 2016. During his experiences travelling, Jesse re-found a passion for photography and began to pursue it as a career by enrolling in photojournalism at SAIT in 2018.
Jesse has since gone on to win awards in photojournalism. His photograph of a cattle drive near La Glace, Alberta has recently gained national attention when it placed second in the Feature category for the News Photographers Association of Canada’s 2021 Pictures of the Year awards. The same photo went on to win First Place in the Feature Photo category for the Alberta Weekly Newspapers Associations 2021 Better Newspapers Competition. Jesse’s photos have also been recognized in other awards, such as the Emerge Media Awards.
Jesse’s articles and photos have been featured in national publications, including The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, CBC, and Winnipeg Free Press.
When Jesse is not chasing a story, he is probably watching a movie or visiting with friends and family.
