Audio Junior League President Lisa Walker on why her group sponsored "Girls Culture" (All Things Considered, 1/14/05) Minneapolis teens talk with Dominic Papatola about their photos (State of the Arts, 1/14/05) Photos Sheena, 15 Playing dress-up Women waving View full slideshow (8 images) Resources Girl Culture exhibition information Girl Culture faculty guide Minnesota Center for Photography Tools E-mail this page Print this page Sponsor

Differing views of "Girl Culture"
by Dominic Papatola, Minnesota Public Radio
January 14, 2005

Sheena, 15, tries on clothes with her friend Amber in a department store dressing room, San Jose, California. (Photo copyright 2004 by Lauren Greenfield )

The Minnesota Center for Photography is currently running two exhibits that take viewers inside the world of women and girls. Lauren Greenfield's "Girl Culture" shows a spectrum of femininity from little girls to showgirls. Those photos have been made into a coffee-table book. Some Minneapolis girls didn't think their lives were well-represented in those images, so they took some photos of their own, and they are on display alongside Greenfield's.

Minneapolis, Minn. — A new exhibit at the Minnesota Center for Photography is being called revealing, provocative and, by some accounts -- sexually graphic. "Girl Culture" is a collection of more than 50 images giving us a glimpse into the social and emotional lives of young girls and women.

They are the work of photographer Lauren Greenfield, who traveled the country to capture the images and presented the collection in her book, "Girl Culture." The book includes a series of images shot in the Twin Cities suburb of Edina.

Some of the photos are sure to get your attention -- very young girls clad in adult clothing, or a young woman examining her bandages after having breast augmentation surgery. But, perhaps the surprise in all of this is the key sponsor for the exhibit -- the Junior League of Minneapolis.

We talked with the league's president, Lisa Walker, about the Junior League's interest in presenting the exhibit.

(Listen to the interview by choosing the audio link in the right column)

The images prompted a photographic response from a group of teenage girls in Minneapolis, who each did mentorship programs with the Minnesota Center for Photography. Their exhibit, called "Girl Vision: A Response," is on display alongside Greenfield's images.

State of the Arts' Dominic Papatola spoke with two of them -- Janelle Thompson and Sarah Lawrence.

(Listen to the interview by choosing the audio link in the right column)

Lauren Greenfield's "Girl Culture" and "Girl Vision: A Response" are on display at the Minnesota Center for Photography in Minneapolis. The shows open Jan. 15 and will be on display through March 27.