MBU Hosts Photography Exhibit for the Jeremy Project

A photograph is more than an image.
It captures a moment forever. This is the principle of the Jeremy Project, the new exhibit featured in Missouri Baptist University’s art gallery—located in the Pillsbury Chapel and Dale Williams Fine Arts Center.

The Jeremy Project photographs special needs children at no cost for local families.The photographs are designed to be easy to look at for the families. Tubes andbruises are airbrushed out of the picture, and the children are positioned to hide medical equipment. In some cases, the hands and feet are photographed because of the natural absence of medical equipment. The photographs are designed so afamily can hang the portraits on a wall, with no reminder of the illness.

Darcie Deneal founded the Jeremy Project in 1998 after her son, Jeremy, passed away in an automobile accident at the age of 17. Deneal realized that only images left of her son are photographs taken before his death. With over 20 years as a registered nurse, Deneal combined her profession with her longtime photography hobby to memorialize special needs children’s lives with high quality photographs.

The team has expanded to include two additional photographers. Each family receives 5-10 prints with digital copies of all photographs taken, paid for by area hospital fundraising and private donors.