“JOY”
the why…
Photography by: Apple Gillespie, Cheyenne Collier, and Anayja Byrd
The Chester Change Agents (CCA) program aims to cultivate a space where young people can safely share commentary on relevant sociopolitical issues, examine the ways in which they can affect change, and work toward implementing actionable solutions through civic engagement and artistic expression. Developed in response to youth feedback and the current social landscape surrounding #BlackLivesMatter and similar movements, CCA centers on the contributions of Black and Indigenous people of color (BIPOC) in social justice advocacy and art. The curriculum focuses on topics such as protest art, systemic inequities (with a special focus on education and the criminal justice system), and afro-futurism. Alongside these features, students also collaborate as youth leaders to create and implement an arts-based service project that addresses pertinent community issues/challenges. Here, student participants learn in an empowering environment that encourages critical thinking as well as social-emotional learning (SEL) as they develop their own sense of personal advocacy and community activism.
This exhibit was influenced by one of our guest speakers, Jamaal Davies (Diary of Disposables). Students decided sharing images that evoked Black Joy from their perspective can be a way to combat the negative narrative that is often portrayed in Black communities.
A huge theme of this program is being purposeful with your actions. The decision to use disposable cameras forces the photographer to be selective with the images they capture. We are used to taking hundreds of photos that we never look at again with today’s advances in smartphones. With these cameras, you only have 26 shots (make them count!)
Thank you for visiting “JOY”. This exhibit will be on display past this date so please feel free to visit again with friends and support Vittles.
-Chester Change Agents