2021 Portraits

Our 2021 campaign focused on the core question that initiated a school wide art project five years ago. In an unprecedented year that prompted a lack of connections, we tried to help our staff and students reconnect to themselves and their peers by asking them to answer the question: “why do you matter?”

It wasn’t an easy task, but our student-lead team developed a series of social-emotional lessons to help their fellow students think about why they are important in this world. Students first reached inside to find meaning, learned what other students believed about themselves and then reached out to tell others why they matter to each other.

In two months and in a hybrid format, our team photographed over 700 students and staff, and started a postcard campaign that reached far beyond our small town. We hope that when you look at these portraits, you think about why you matter, and you tell someone why they matter to you.

If you're interested in bringing the #WhyYouMatter photo campaign to your school, check out our step-by-step guide.