OUR HISTORY, OUR VOICES PROJECT
The Jalynn Baker Exhibit
About Her Exhibit…
I use photography and writing to amplify quiet stories and celebrate the beauty and dignity in people and communities.
Breaking Beautiful was my first organized effort to advocate for myself and other women.
Throughout girlhood, I had received the message that beauty should look a certain way from the media and society. My hair, my body, my skin were all an affront to this standardized definition. As I looked around my college campus, I saw a world of beauty to be celebrated. My intention with this portrait series was to reclaim our power as women to define beauty for ourselves and to give voice to the uniqueness of each individual.
Since then, I have continued to use my art to advocate and elevate the voices of others, most recently focusing on themes surrounding race and immigrant rights. With every image taken and story shared, I seek to release joy, empathy, appreciation, and value for people into the world.
Click to view images at larger scale.
Connect with Jalynn Baker »
Instagram: @jalexisphoto | Website: http://www.jalynnbaker.com
More Exhibits
The Connie Flachs Exhibit
I am inspired by movement and human growth, physical, mental and spiritual. This work in particular is part of a series of dance journal entries that have enabled me to document a time of major transition (of career, personal life, and place) in my life. The female spirit, to me, is sensual, feeling, flexible, and deep.
The Megan Cook Exhibit
Entrepreneurship is no joke. It's HARD work. Long hours, endless networking, small business admin, the list goes on and on. And, sometimes, being a woman in entrepreneurship is that much harder. But what nourishes and sustains me is the community I've built through it. I love that I can collaborate with other women entrepreneurs, supporting each other's dreams and work in community with each other rather than in competition with each other.
The Yvette Bodden Exhibit
I share these stories because I believe the spirit of a woman is one of a warrior. We are designed to withstand pain but the magic is in transforming it into greatness. Human beings have the power to create beauty from any circumstance, if the belief in self-worth and love is strong enough to bring yourself out of darkness.