These photographs are from a photography project titled “The Photographer as Activist.” This project gave the students the opportunity to reflect on what they care about, and a voice through the medium of photography.  Students were asked to research and photograph a topic they felt passionately about and create a poster to present to the community to inform, educate and inspire others to take action.

The Photographer as Activist Project is dedicated to the memory of Larry Sultan.  The public art works that Larry, in partnership with his wife, Kelly, have created over the years inspire me by their potential to unite people. These projects have engaged the community’s attention, and have let individuals see and identify themselves as part of a community, and have allowed others in the larger communities to know about people who they may not have had the opportunity to know otherwise.

Public art has the power to deliver a message that can transform and effect change when it is seen in the eyes of even a casual passerby.