High Five: Portraits by Dubuque’s 5th Graders
This portrait installation features 650 fifth-grade students from Dubuque Community Schools, created through the expanded Arts Trek program at the Dubuque Museum of Art.
About
Each student directed their own portrait. Before stepping in front of the camera, students wrote an artist statement to think critically about how they wanted to be seen and represented. They selected their pose, the color of the photograph, and many chose to bring a meaningful object: something that reflected their identity, culture, interests, family, or personal history. These choices allowed students to explore how their portraits communicate meaning and support agency and self-representation.
Developed in partnership with the Dubuque Community School District and supported by the Art Bridges Foundation, this fifth-grade Arts Trek program connects social studies and the arts to explore American history, identity, and agency. Inspired by visits to In Conversation: Will Wilson, students examined the lasting legacy of photographs and how images influence the way people and communities are represented.
High Five marks the inaugural exhibition of DuMA’s newly expanded fifth-grade Arts Trek program.