Chalk Talk

Who are you?

artist Wing Young Huie

Answer to a question posed by students: How do you think others see you? What don’t they see? Photo by Steve Weinik.

Portion of the final installation at the Municipal Services Building in center city Philadelphia. Photo by Steve Weinik.

About This Project 

As a part of our Photography as Exchange project, Mural Arts Philadelphia invited social practice photographer Wing Young Huie to Philadelphia to work with youth in our Art Education Program. Wing did photography workshops with students from Waring Elementary School, participants in the Southeast by Southeast project, and at the NorthEast Treatment Center while he was in Philadelphia. Hailing from Minnesota, Wing’s work explores culture and identity through the creation of thoughtful, layered images that penetrate our preconceptions. After presenting his work to students, he began his “Chalk Talk” method of pairing participants with questions that explore identity, race, and connections between neighbors.

Response to the question: Who Are You? Photo by Steve Weinik.

Wing’s Chalk Talk exercise originated from a photo series he did in Minneapolis called The University Avenue Project. Workshop participants interview each other, write their responses on a blackboard in white chalk, and snap a picture of one another in order to connect the words on the blackboard with the person who expressed them. Students then went out into their neighborhoods and continued the exercise with the public. Through asking tough questions, students received some tough answers, opening up room for conversation and connection. The photographs were installed on the ground floor windows of the Municipal Services Building, across from City Hall.

Project Photos 

  • Chalk Talk exercise. Photo by Steve Weinik.

  • Wing Young Huie explains his process to Mural Arts students. Photo by Steve Weinik.

  • Chalk Talk exercise. Photo by Steve Weinik.

  • Chalk Talk exercise. Photo by Steve Weinik.

  • Chalk Talk exercise. Photo by Steve Weinik.

  • Chalk Talk exercise. Photo by Steve Weinik.

  • Wing Young Huie poses with a Mural Arts student at the project dedication. Photo by Steve Weinik.

  • Chalk Talk exercise. Photo by Steve Weinik.

  • Portion of the final installation at the Municipal Services Building in center city Philadelphia. Photo by Steve Weinik.

  • Portion of the final installation at the Municipal Services Building in center city Philadelphia. Photo by Steve Weinik.

Sponsor 

City of Philadelphia Department of Human Services

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