The Goodlands: Young Photographers Inspiring Hope in North Philadelphia

Since 2000, more than 800 children from the Fairhill and West Kensington neighborhoods of North Philadelphia have participated in a unique community-based after school and summer arts program run by Centro Nueva Creacion: The Goodlands®. Beginning December 10, 2009, the Penn Museum presents The Goodlands: Young Photographers Inspiring Hope in North Philadelphia, a selection of more than 40 color photographs of people and places in the community, taken between 2000 and 2009 by neighborhood children aged 5 to 13. The photography exhibition, on view in the Museum's Kress gallery-the primary entrance for the 35,000 plus schoolchildren who annually visit the Museum-runs through May 2010. According to Angela Jubinville, Acting Executive Director, Centro Nueva Creacion, the Goodlands® program name was conceived to counter a negative, and damaging, stereotype. North Philadelphia has been stigmatized for years as the "Badlands"-a region ridden by drugs, crime, and poverty. The Goodlands was created to counter these perceptions, as well as inspire hope and build artistic talent in young people. Over the years, hundreds of children in the Goodlands have worked with professional photographers to learn about the art.