Recollections of Family Photographs from Five Generations

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.