Expanding Lives
In conjunction with an installation by Kay Rosen, the Chicago Photography Collective created an exhibit focusing on the work of non-profit organizations in the city. Go Do Good is a project of the Loop Alliance of the City of Chicago.
The group that I focused on, Expanding Lives, brings promising young women from Niger to the Chicago area to teach them skills that further empower them for their lives back in their own country. My French-speaking wife Jerri Zbiral and I served as hosts, easing their transition between worlds. We enjoy picnics and fireworks, meals and quiet moments. Each image shown here is also surrounded by cloth brought from Niger, placing each woman in her cultural context, reflecting her journey. Single images can often represent only a part of a narrative; with this approach, I am filling in some missing pieces.
