Jessica Terry-Elliott and Caroline Charles, both Ph.D candidates at Syracuse University, are members of the Turning the Lens Collective. The group is organizing a community archive, "Family Pictures Syracuse," in collaboration with the Family Pictures Institute for Inclusive Storytelling.

“Caroline and I really developed this research process that was very unique and specific to Black people in Syracuse,” Terry-Elliott said.

Charles said when looking through archives, it’s what they didn’t see that helped craft their vision for the project.

“Family histories, local histories, it’s here. It’s not scarce. It’s just not in the archive, in this institutional archive. But where it is, it’s in the domestic repositories, like my grandmother’s house, like Caroline’s house,” Terry-Elliott said.

She said a lot of those stories go untold.

“One of the things that we want to do is make sure that we’re celebrating the knowledge that we create every day in this city. People that often don’t get a chance to talk about these histories have a space to do that with each other and in community," Charles said.

Family Pictures Syracuse was adopted through Thomas Allen Harris’ film "Through A Lens Darkly," which will be played Friday in the Everson Museum to kick off this new project.

“We wanted to really amplify our story here in Syracuse, and really have this kind of core identity. And make sure that we amplify it in a way where other cities and other spaces can adopt this model,” Terry-Elliott said.

On Saturday, community members are invited to the Everson Museum to bring their family photos, have them scanned and record them, sharing their family stories. On Sunday, they will present the photos as a grand finale.

“Most of the things that are going to be shared will be available in a digital archive that we are working tirelessly to develop,” Terry-Elliott said.

They're turning the lens to capture what is often overlooked.

“This is an opportunity for people to place their own value on their own archives, and be empowered in that way,” Terry-Elliott said.