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 Mera Ragsdale Exhibit
My paintings question the way we look at feminine bodies especially in comparison to how masculine bodies are viewed. In art history, the objectification and presentation of female bodies and an accepted way to present and view them has long been prevalent, specifically as non-threatening objects of sexual desire. My work questions these long accepted practices and empowers my subjects to visually challenge the viewer.
The Leah Yaun Exhibit
This piece is titled “Fear of Him”. It is about a time in my life when I kept quite about a series of situations in fear of what would happen if I spoke up. It is too common women are belittled by boys because boys think they can do anything they want. I think it is important to note that women are so much stronger than what society views us as.
The Allison Hong Merrill Exhibit
I'm a Taiwanese immigrant writer based in Utah. My work mostly centers around my upbringing in Chinese culture, which sadly, conditions women and girls to submit to men's will.