Recollections of Family Photographs from Five Generations

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Snapshots, broken toys, high school diaries, a locket with secret compartments for tiny photographs, well-read love letters, a piece of sea glass, shoeboxes filled with bits of ephemera from daily life. These were some of the objects that were part of a 2001 exhibition entitled recollections at Macy Gallery, Teachers College Columbia University in New York City. It was through this exhibition that I explored how objects provoke narratives in families. As a consequence of the exhibition, there seemed to be a need for further understanding of how individuals assign meanings to their treasured objects, particularly family snapshots. This appeared to be a worthy investigation as art educators debate the rationale of using images from visual culture as sites of inquiry in curriculum design. This book presents the findings of a narrative inquiry that relied on art-practice-as-research methodologies. Art and museum educators will find this book compelling as they come to understand how family photographs may be used to nurture learners who recognize how their personal narratives give structure to their lives and through which connections to broader cultural contexts are made evident.