One Ambitious Photojournalism Project, Two Premiere Events in Lincoln

40 Nights Photography and Community Action Partnership of Lancaster and Saunders Counties, formerly Lincoln Action Program, announced today that its cooperative photojournalism project, "40 Nights In Lincoln: Surviving Poverty," will be on display in April and May in Lincoln. Surviving Poverty tells the life stories of local residents through still photos accompanied by short written essays and video documentary.

Today's economy makes everyday life activities extremely challenging for many Nebraskans. This project will harness the power of visual storytelling to show the obstacles and problems facing people in our community.

"When we started this project, we decided to forgo a lot of the traditional documentary style. We emphasized visual creativity paired with stripped-down storytelling so that fragments of each person's life would be represented in a striking way,” said Nathan Chandler, a Lincoln-based freelance photojournalist and owner of 40 Nights Photography.

The ultimate goal of the project is to help others understand that the people in these stories live right here in Lincoln -- and that each person's struggles affect our community as a whole. However, this isn’t a just another social awareness project. Everyone who sees these works will leave armed with specific steps they can take to better the lives of their neighbors.  

“This project presents a unique opportunity for Lincoln residents to come together and see first-hand the broader impact that poverty has on our community. It will also give us an opportunity to begin discussions on how we as a community respond and address the issues that these families are facing on a daily basis,” said Vi See, Executive Director for Community Action.

Thanks to the efforts and cooperation of Community Action administrators and their clients, the project is nearly complete. The preview premier is April 8, at Bourbon Theater (1415 O St.) from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. This will be a prime networking event and an excellent chance to view video segments, created and edited by freelance videographer Robby Defrain, on a theater-size screen. The exhibit will then appear in its completed form at the Noyes Art Gallery (119 S. 9th St.) beginning May 7th, where it will remain for the rest of the month.

The Surviving Poverty project is a partnership of 40 Nights Photography and Community Action. This is a volunteer, non-profit event, from start to finish. None of the finished works are for sale.