Picture This...

May 22- July 1, 2012

Picture This... is a photography exhibition created by 300 community youth during the past school year. With 17 schools and organizations from throughout Central Illinois participating in the project, this exhibition signifies the largest cooperative art project ever organized by University Galleries.

Participating organizations include:

Bloomington Junior High School
Blue Ridge High School
Boys & Girls Club of Bloomington-Normal
Children's Discovery Museum
Gibson City Melvin Sibley High School
Hammitt School of the Baby Fold
Heyworth High School
Lexington High School
Olympia High School
Parkside Junior High School
Ridgeview High School
Thomas Metcalf Laboratory School
Tri-Point Middle School
Tri-Valley High School
UNITY Community Center
Western Avenue Community Center

Picture This... offers a multi-sensory experience for gallery patrons that begins with the audible voices of youth echoing from the Gallery foyer: “A photograph is the imitation of life…a moment of the soul stolen away from time for future archive;” “A photograph is a small puzzle piece of life;” “A photograph is….” These disembodied voices create an aural portrait of the students involved with the project, a portrait that is clearly articulated through the hundreds of images displayed on the gallery walls. In addition to the photographs and audio created by participants, an interactive display allows patrons to investigate photographs dating back to the 1860s.

At its core, Picture This... provides youth the tools to understand the meaning of photographs. They take what they learn about those images and apply their knowledge to creating their own photographs. Coupling the resources provided by University Galleries with the individual creativity possessed by each student, we begin an exploration of the very nature of representation—how others are represented and how we represent ourselves for others to see. Showcasing the insights uncovered during these investigations provides students—and their shared communities—opportunities to "picture" themselves in an entirely new context. It is within this context that we are able to bring these exercises of playful study to larger audiences in order to share what they might reveal about ourselves.

Picture This... has been made possible through generous support from the Illinois Prairie Community Foundation—Mirza Arts and Culture Fund; Target, and Milner Library of Illinois State University. Through these sources, University Galleries has been able to purchase digital cameras, provide field trip support for regional schools, as well as supplement the printing costs of bringing the photographs to public exhibition.