Education Resource Guide

Produced by Photoville Education in partnership with PhotoWings

We, Women, the largest social impact photography project by women and gender nonconforming artists, is currently underway across the United States. This project unravels the legacy of power structures constructed and maintained through decades of “othering” through imagery. Further, We, Women showcases an inclusive approach to photography, demonstrating that agency and social change happen when collaboration and community engagement are central in a photographer’s practice.

Born out of frustration over the country’s deep political divisions across issues of economics, race, gender, and beyond, We, Women fosters action and dialogue. Our artists create images collaboratively, visualize underrepresented experiences, and amplify existing grassroots organizing around our country’s most pressing issues.

As one sweeping narrative, this traveling exhibition, The Power of We, maps shared experiences across geography and demographics. Collectively, these projects demonstrate that we as individuals and as communities can envision a different future for this country: to unleash the power of “we.”

What is this guide, and how do I use it?

This Education Resource Guide accompanies The Power of We: a national touring exhibition of the We, Women project launching July 13, 2021 in Brooklyn Bridge Park, New York City. You might use this guide as an introduction to the exhibition, as a follow-up to your visit, or as a virtual way to experience the work of these artists.

The introductory questions invite you to think more deeply about collaboration and community — core values that weave throughout the We, Women exhibition. Using the Artist Resource Guide Index, you can dive into each of the 19 We, Women projects created by 23 artists across the United States. Individual artist pages include project descriptions, artist bios, guiding questions, and more. All of the content in this guide can also be accessed below, where you’ll also find video interviews with each We, Women artist, in which they speak about their projects, processes, and practices. We hope that these materials enhance your experience of this work and prompt meaningful questions and new understandings.

Let's look closer

Historically, photography has focused on a single author and given this person (the photographer) a great amount of power. It’s been common practice that a photographer finds the “subject” and creates an image, thereby determining the meaning and value of the person, issue, or place in the picture. These images then categorize and control narratives — and communities. But are there unintended — or intended — consequences?

We, Women asks: What if we chose to photograph differently? Who is the person making the image and what is their relationship to what is pictured? What if authorship and power were shared? What if images were co-created and shaped by communities who appear in them?

Let's question some photography assumptions

Is an image a whole truth? Or is it a perspective?
What is being left out? What is being forgotten or erased?
What is the difference between “taking” and “making” a photograph?
Why do you think words like “shoot” and “capture” are connected to photography?
What does it mean to be the “subject” of a photograph? What might a “subject” be subjected to?
Who should decide what a photograph means?
What are the steps of the photographic process? Is any step more or less important than others?
Who comes together to make a photograph? (i.e. Photographer, producer, journalist, editor, collaborators, community members) How would you describe their working relationship?

What makes a project collaborative?

This working definition is a collection of responses from the We, Women artists and founders. Where and how do these show up in each of the projects?

Questions to look deeper...

Represented within these projects are many different social issues and a variety of creative strategies to address them. Pay attention to both the issues and the strategies and how they may connect to your work and your community.