Fulbright award funds youth photo exhibit

A new exhibition at Morril Hall features nature photography captured by youth from the Boys and Girls Club of Lincoln and UNL mentors. Photos include (top right) "Buggy" by Natalie Huffman-Nunez and (bottom right) "Nine Mile Prairie" by Paige Brandt.
A new exhibition at Morril Hall features nature photography captured by youth from the Boys and Girls Club of Lincoln and UNL mentors. Photos include (top right) "Buggy" by Natalie Huffman-Nunez and (bottom right) "Nine Mile Prairie" by Paige Brandt.

A doctoral student's Fulbright award helped fund "Land in Focus," a University of Nebraska State Museum exhibition featuring photos of six Lincoln-area youth.

The exhibit was curated by doctoral student Victoria Chraibi in partnership with the Boys and Girls Club of Lincoln, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, and UNL doctoral fellows in the National Science Foundation Integrated Graduate Education and Research Training program. The interactive exhibit showcases the connections urban youth were able to make to the natural world through creativity and inter-generational storytelling. The project was funded by a grant Chraibi received from the Fulbright Canada-RBC Eco-Leadership Program. “Land in Focus” is on display through Sept. 30.

Through the grant, six youths ages 11 to 17 from the Boys and Girls Club of Lincoln were provided cameras, and set out to gain a better understanding of Nebraska wildlife and landscapes. Along with UNL mentors, they visited diverse landscapes in and around Lincoln, including city parks, Nine Mile Prairie, Platte River State Park, privately owned farms and other locations. They documented field trips with photos ranging from pigs to prairie landscapes. They spoke to a variety of researchers, farmers and Nebraskans spanning multiple generations to learn about perspectives on nature.

Excerpts from the interviews are available by using a smartphone to scan QR codes integrated into the exhibition.

For more information, go to http://www.museum.unl.edu or call 402-472-2642.

— Dana Ludvik, University Communications