The Power of Faces
The Power of Faces
The Power of Faces
Looking at the Global Refugee Crisis
By Celeste Huang + Alexander Huang
Exhibition On View
November 18, 2019 – February 20, 2020
WESTBY HALL / ROOM 110
237 Mullica Hill Road, Glassboro, NJ 08028
How does one address the Global Refugee Crisis?
For us, we start one face at a time.
The United Nations calls the Global Refugee Crisis the “greatest humanitarian crisis of our time.” Over 70 million people have been forced to flee their homes due to conflict or persecution. That’s 1 person every 2 seconds.
Every. Two. Seconds.
The Power of Faces portrait project intentionally crops out the context of refugee camps to focus on individuals, and not merely their label as “refugee.”
We also bring photo printers into refugee camps because we believe having a physical photo of family or friends can be a great comfort in times of need. To date, we have distributed thousands of portraits for people to keep.
– Celeste Huang + Alexander Huang
Celeste Huang and Alexander Huang are a sister and brother team of journalists raising awareness of the global refugee crisis. They have documented refugee camps and displaced people in Greece and Mexico and are key members of a major global portrait project called “The Power of Faces” that seeks to humanize this crisis, which the United Nations calls “the greatest humanitarian crisis of our time.” Celeste and Alexander have documented refugee boat landings in Greece as well as nighttime ocean patrols with the Greek Coast Guard. They have interviewed displaced individuals in camps in Athens and Chios, Greece and Tijuana, Mexico. Alexander and Celeste’s work has been exhibited at Amnesty International, The Middle East Institute, numerous colleges and high schools, and other institutions. Their photographs related to the refugee crisis have appeared in several magazines and online media.
The Center for Art and Social Engagement is a new initiative of Rowan University Art Gallery at Westby Hall. It serves as a venue for investigating social issues through arts-based methods. Anchored by a permanent display of The Sister Chapel, a historic collaborative feminist installation, CASE draws inspiration from the cooperative spirit of the women’s art movement. Programming at CASE will encourage interdisciplinary collaborations that explore diverse and timely social issues through multidisciplinary practices.
Gallery Hours are Monday–Thursday, 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
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