October 11 – December 15, 2018
The Philadelphia Photo Arts Center and Mural Arts Philadelphia are proud to present Yearbook, a celebration of the voice and vision of Philadelphia’s youth.
Young artists ages 10 to 22 collaboratively envisioned, sketched, and painted vivid backdrops. Their work explored their experience of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms—freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear—as young people in the 21st century. Danna Singer, Shawn Theodore, and Daniel Traub photographed the youth in front of their backdrops, creating portraits that speak to their collective resilience, strength, and spirit. These portraits are also shown on billboards throughout Philadelphia, making a statement that can’t be missed.
The youth also learned photography and experimented with their own photographic voice. These pictures are included in Yearbook.
Danna Singer is a photographer based in Philadelphia who works on long-term projects of portrait and documentary photography addressing the themes of family and class struggles dominate her powerful photographs of the contemporary cultural American landscape.
Daniel Traub was born and raised in Philadelphia, and now currently lives and works in New Your City. Much of his work focuses on border regions and marginalized communities. He photographed extensively to create the work, North Philadelphia, a portrait of a neighborhood in prolonged crisis.
Shawn Theodore is a multidisciplinary artist working in photography, videography, and collage, Theodore’s practice merges real and hypothesized mythological black experiences set within contemporary black environments.
Yearbook represents Pennsylvania in the 50-State Initiative, a national action coordinated by For Freedoms. The 50-State Initiative uses art as a call for action and engagement in the lead-up to the midterm elections.
PPAC would like to offer special thanks to the Kickstarter donors who generously contributed to this project:
This exhibition is made possible by the generous support of The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
