Stop by the library to see this moving photography exhibit showcasing fourth grade students from around the world! Open every day during library open hours (exhibit closes 30 minutes before library).
Over the course of a decade, acclaimed artist Judy Gelles traveled to countries around the world photographing over 300 fourth grade students and asking them these three questions.
Who do you live with?
What do you wish for?
What do you worry about?
Students from a wide range of economic and cultural backgrounds in China, England, India, Israel, Italy, Nicaragua, St. Lucia, South Africa, Dubai, South Korea, and multiple areas of the United States answered these questions, and their stories took shape. Collectively, the students’ answers and photographs capture the gamut of societal issues that we face today: violence, immigration, global hunger, and the impact of the media and popular culture. More than that, they reveal common human experiences.
“My dream for this project would be if it could be instituted in curriculums all over the world, and kids could be connected and become a part of one huge global community.” - Judy Gelles
The Fourth Grade Project Exhibition consists of more than 60 photographs to be displayed in CDL’s McKune Room from February 1 through March 16. CDL invites people of all ages to visit the exhibit and experience the way this photography collection connects viewers locally and globally, bridging cultural differences by fostering a strong, tolerant, and global community. View the exhibit and ask yourself, what do you wish for?
Judy Gelles had a long-time focus on themes of family and children, with work in major collections including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In 2013,Critical Mass listed her as one of the top 50 photographers in the US. In 2015, she presented The Fourth Grade Project as a TEDx talk.
The Fourth Grade Project is organized by ExhibitsUSA, a program of Mid-America Arts Alliance.
The Chelsea District Library is a single branch library serving the City of Chelsea and surrounding townships. The library has 4 small study rooms, one medium meeting room, and the McKune room, our main programming room.
