About the Project

In September of 2008, 54 women from five communities in southern West Virginia were given digital cameras and asked to take pictures to “tell the story” of their communities, including the strengths and assets of their communities, the unique character of life in the region, and the problems and issues of concern in their areas. Project director and sociologist Shannon Bell facilitated meetings with each group every three weeks for the duration of the eight-month project so that participants had the opportunity to share their photographs, discuss common themes, create “photostories” (photographs with written narratives), and develop project ideas to address problems they identified. Bell also hosted two regional meetings so that women from the five communities had the opportunity to meet and share their communities’ stories with each other. 

Throughout the spring of 2009, each of the five groups hosted a community exhibit and presentation in their home community to which local residents, legislators, and other local leaders were invited. From April 15-19, 2009, 100 photostories from across all five communities were exhibited at the Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences in Charleston, West Virginia. The Photovoice project published a book of photostories from the Clay Center exhibit, and copies of these books were donated to the local libraries in their counties.