Photography for Advocacy

“When I’m a big daddy, I’m going to blast the leaves out of the gutter, clean up the house, if it’s dirty, and cook for daddy and mommy,” says one four-year old boy. Another in first grade says, "I depend on my dad like a rose depends on water and sun.”

In a new exhibition currently on display at the Columbia University School of Social Work, photographer Steven Shames counters the stereotype of low-income fathers as deadbeat dads. He argues that while government directs its programmatic and financial support toward mothers, low-income dads are largely absent from public policy discussions. When men are discussed, they are often portrayed negatively, while positive programs that assist struggling, low-income dads are rarely mentioned.

Through his photo essay, Shames captures the men who play an active role in their children's lives. Many men yearn to be closer to their children, and fathering programs help them achieve this goal by teaching parenting and job-related skills and connecting them with their families and community. Even men society might consider beyond redemption—those who belong to gangs or who have a record of abuse—can become responsible fathers with the support of parenting programs.

The exhibition is part of the Open Society Institute's "Moving Walls" series. The exhibit is located on the fourth floor of the School of Social Work building (1255 Amsterdam Avenue) and is open to the public Monday through Friday from 10:00am-3:00pm. For more information about the exhibition, please contact Jeannie Hii at 212-851-2327 or [email protected], or visit www.movingwalls.org.

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About the Photographer

Stephen Shames creates photo essays on social issues for magazines, books, advocacy organizations, and art museums. Two of these essays, Outside the Dream and Pursuing the Dream, were published as monographs by Aperture. A third, Friends of the Children, became a film directed by Shames. His recent projects include portraits of multiracial Americans; “Lost Boys,” a compilation of work spanning four decades; street children; AIDS orphans; children affected by war; and “America Smells Like Fresh Bread,” a look at American values. In 2002, Shames founded the Outside the Dream Foundation to educate AIDS orphans, street kids, and vulnerable children in Uganda and India.

Shames’s images are in the permanent collections of the International Center of Photography, the National Portrait Gallery, the Museum of Photographic Arts, The University of California’s Bancroft Library, the San Jose Art Museum, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. He has received awards from the Kodak Crystal Eagle for Impact in Photojournalism, Leica, the International Center of Photography, and the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Foundation.

About CUSSW (www.socialwork.columbia.edu)

For more than 100 years, the Columbia University School of Social Work has been the leader in practice and policy. Located in New York City, the school offers master’s and doctoral programs that are nationally and internationally recognized for their excellence. With its signature curriculum that encompasses multidimensional academic coursework and a far-reaching field education experience, CUSSW continues to be at the forefront of clinical practice, social policy, and social enterprise administration education, teaching, research, and social work innovation in the 21st Century.

Note: Information about the exhibit is taken from the artist's statement at www.movingwalls.org.