For a quarter of a century, Expanding the Walls: Making Connections Between Photography, History, and Community, envisioned by Sandra Jackson-Dumont, has fostered critical thinking, artistic expression, and community engagement among its teen participants. This exhibition, which marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of Expanding the Walls, features photographs across the program’s years, offering a glimpse into the people, places, and moments that define a teenager’s world. As their camera may have evolved—first from Polaroid, then to film, and now to digital—each photographer presents a distinct visual language shaped by the techniques and technologies of their time. Whether navigating self, family, or community, these young artists use their camera to capture adolescence in all its complexity and clarity. 

One of the program’s signature elements is its focus on the archive of renowned Harlem photographer James Van Der Zee (1886–1983). By studying Van Der Zee’s portraits of Harlem’s Black community in the early twentieth century, teens gain a deeper understanding of the historical context that shaped their community and how photography can be a powerful tool for documenting cultural identity.