Wendy Ewald :
American Alphabets

For almost thirty years, artist Wendy Ewald has challenged traditional notions of documentary photography and the role of the artist. Exploring the visual imagination of children and adults around the world, her collaborative approach to photography probes questions of identity and cultural differences.

In 1997, the artist embarked on a series titled American Alphabets, designed to look at our written language from various cultural perspectives. With Ewald working behind the camera, each project involved students choosing a word for a letter of the alphabet and then determining how to depict those words. To date, Ewald has worked with students to create Spanish, African- American, Arab-American, and White Girl alphabets. Raising provocative questions about contemporary society and the power of language, the alphabets included in this exhibition allow us to see ourselves and the issues of race and culture in a new light.