The Film and Filmmaker

Portraits and Dreams revisits photographs created by Kentucky schoolchildren in the 1970s and the place where their photos were made. Photographer and artist Wendy Ewald, who guided the students in making their visionary photographs, returns to Kentucky and learns how the lives and visions of her former students have changed. The film combines the new narratives and insights of the now adult students.

Film maker, Wendy Ewald, has published extensively on topics illuminated in Portraits and Dreams You can explore her full bibliography on her website: www.wendyewald.com/books. Select titles are highlighted below:

Ewald, Wendy and Alexandra Lightfoot. I Wanna Take Me a Picture: Teaching Photography and Writing to Children. New York, New York: Beacon Press, 2002
Written for parents and teachers, I Wanna Take Me a Picture is an accessible and practical guide to getting children involved in photography. Through a series of lessons from self-portraiture to representing their dreams- it teaches everything a beginner needs to know: how to compose a picture, set up a darkroom and develop film.

Ewald, Wendy. Portraits and Dreams. MACK
This collection of photographs and essays was born out of Wendy Ewald's experiences teaching young children in Eastern Kentucky. The photographs included reflect the work of these young children and include self-portraits, family portraits, and photographs meant to capture the childrens' dreams.

Ewald, Wendy and Katherine Hyde, et al.. Literacy and Justice Through Photography: A Classroom Guide. New York, New York: Teachers College Press, 2011.
This practical guide will help teachers to use the acclaimed “Literacy Through Photography” method developed by Wendy Ewald to promote critical thinking, self-expression, and respect in the classroom.