Coty Giannelli: Days With Deslie

Coty Giannelli’s photography has been seen previously in Massillon Museum exhibits Massillon Tiger Football Boosters and Tiger Legacy: Our Tiger Football Family, both in 2012, and the 2019 Stark County Artists Exhibition, when he was awarded an Honorable Mention.Giannelli earned the “Rich Mahan Best Student Portfolio” honor in the 2013 Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar. That year he also earned two awards of excellence: “College Photographer of the Year’s Portfolio Category” and "College Photographer of the Year’s International Picture Story Category.” He was honored for “Individual Excellence” by the Ohio Arts Council in 2017 and 2019.Having lived with his grandmother for much of his life prior to military service, Giannelli moved back in with her when she was 92 and needed help taking care of herself. He made images of her daily life to have as a remembrance of her, and the exhibition, Days with Delsie, evolved over time.  “The daily stress of being a caretaker with little natural support started to get to me,” Giannelli said. “I started dealing with some depression, anger, and guilt issues.”  Days with Delsie turned from a celebration of his grandmother's life to a way to vent about his life as a caregiver. By sharing this intimate view with others who are going through the same thing, he hopes it brings others comfort to know that they are not alone.