"It was an incredible opportunity to photograph and immerse myself in often overlooked communities of children and teens in Chicago. Since I was in my teens and photographing my own family, childhood and adolescence has been a focus of my work. Girl Ascending, my 2010 monograph, explored the social lives and coming-of-age rituals of my daughter, Emma, her friends and teammates."
"I'm interested in photography as a process, one of paying close attention to the richness and mystery already present in the everyday world. I capture what's happening in the moment, and the story reveals itself afterwards in contemplation of the work itself. This is an opportunity to make what I think of as real pictures images that reward sustained and repeated viewings and eschew stereotype and cliche."
Becoming Themselves is a seven-year photographic series created during an artist residency inside Chicago Public Schools that documents everyday adolescent life. The project focuses on students who are marginalized and underrepresented, portraying their navigation of identity, community bonds, vulnerability, resilience, and growth. Work emerged through immersion at Bell School and Ogden International, enabled by an Artists in Public Schools residency, and extended earlier concerns with childhood and adolescence explored in Girl Ascending. The photographer pursued candid, unrehearsed moments, seeking 'real pictures' that reward repeated viewing and avoid stereotype, capturing beauty, compassion, and conflict inherent in school life.
Read at www.npr.org
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