For Immediate Release: November 21, 2007
Media Contact: Marketing and Communication Department
2007 Investigating Where We Live: Media Advisory
“The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.” —Dorothea Lange
Investigating Where We Live: The River Has Two Sides
Exhibition Opening Friday, August 10, 2007 / 6:00 – 8:00 pm
What
Armed with digital cameras and journals, middle, junior, and senior high school students from the metropolitan Washington area made the city streets of Anacostia, Congress Heights, and Navy Yard their classrooms in the National Building Museum’s four-week summer outreach program, Investigating Where We Live (IWWL).
While some students participate in IWWL to fill their summer days, others are IWWL participants because they are thinking of their future. “There are several students who have been told that photography is a great tool to learn for their desired careers. For example, one young lady would like to be a radio journalist and connecting photography and creative writing in IWWL helps with communication and other related skills,” explained outreach coordinator Jennifer Michaelree.
IWWL challenges students to learn how to “see” and to use photography and creative writing as a way to understand and explain local neighborhoods. Emphasis was placed on educating the students about the historical background of each neighborhood and a historic preservationist was brought in to discuss the importance of maintaining a community’s historical roots.
Student photographs and writing will be on display in a student-designed exhibition at the Museum from August 11 through November 25, 2007.
Major funding for Investigating Where We Live is provided by the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, an agency supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts; the Neighborhood Investment Fund, District of Columbia Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development; and The Beech Street Foundation. Additional support for outreach programs is provided by The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; The Capital Group Companies; The Clark Charitable Foundation; and The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation, among others.
Where
National Building Museum
401 F Street NW Washington, DC 20001 (Judiciary Square Metro, Red Line)
When
Friday, August 10, 2007
6:00 – 8:00 pm: Investigating Where We Live Exhibition Opening Reception
Free. Refreshments will be served.
Contacts
Marketing and Communications Department, 202.272.2448, ext. 3458
The National Building Museum is America’s leading cultural institution dedicated to advancing the quality of the built environment by educating people about its impact on their lives. Through its exhibitions, educational programs, online content, and publications, the Museum has become a vital forum for the exchange of ideas and information about the world we build for ourselves. Public inquiries: 202.272.2448 or visit www.nbm.org. Connect with us on Twitter: @BuildingMuseum and Facebook.
