Elmhurst Art Museum staff and the Design Museum of Chicago would like to present Depth of Field. This collage series is a shared effort between members of the Elmhurst Art Museum’s Teen Art Council and York Community High School’s Black Student Union.
Depth of Field, a term used in photography, describes the distance between the nearest and furthest objects of an image while still remaining in focus. This installation aims to expand upon the ideas of the Chicago Freedom Movement as they remain relevant today. Participating students responded to the lasting impact of the Chicago Freedom Movement by touring their own living spaces while considering their personal relationship with their residences.
Photography has the ability to capture a single moment in time or to document life events. The students were asked to photograph architectural designs, textures, or anything else that connected them to the idea of home. Photography was used to create a visual connection to the main work presented in our exhibition, In Focus. Disposable cameras were used to intentionally move away from digital photo editing as well as to establish a set of limitations for all participants. After photos were developed, the students were presented with the following quote by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from the “Our Power is Not in Violence” speech given at Soldier Field, in Chicago on July 10, 1966:
Our power is not in violence. Our power is in our unity, the focus of our souls, and the determination of our bodies. This is a force that no army can overcome, for there is nothing more powerful in the world than the surge of unarmed truth.
This quote informed the final compositions of the photo collages. Through the collage process, artists were able to take representational images and compose them in a specific and intentional way. Through their work, each teen artist reveals an interpretation of their own truth and hopes for the future.
This installation is co-curated by the Design Museum of Chicago and Elmhurst Art Museum’s Director of Education Joseph Hladik. It serves as a new iteration of the “Great Ideas of Humanity'' exhibition series. Launched in 1950 by Chicago's Container Corporation of America, the Great Ideas advertising campaign series commissioned designers and artists to create a visual response to a great idea. In 2016, the Design Museum was encouraged by John Massey, former Container Corporation of America (CCA) Head of Design, to continue the project updated for the 21st century. Today the series celebrates globalization and cross-pollination of ideas, societies, and cultures by expanding the scope of ideas, presentation of responses, and inviting artists and designers to visually respond to a great idea.