Even a trash can can be beautiful.
That's one of the lessons the residents of Missouri Girls Town learned while participating in PhotoVoice, an outreach of Central Missouri Community Action (CMCA). Their photos were displayed at the Art House on Thursday, and will be exhibited at LuLu's Frozen Yogurt for a month beginning next week.
During the program, the girls learned the basics of photography and discussed social issues.
"When Kellie (Pontius of CMCA) first came to me we talked about the possibilities and we were so excited," said Lydia Schuster, owner of Studio Seven Photography. "It turned out to be so much more than we'd hoped."
Schuster and Pontius led a 15-hour course for about 10 residents at Girls Town, who took photographs all over their campus.
"I taught them angles, lighting and how to express emotion through photography," Schuster said.
Pontius focused on the social issues. PhotoVoice encourages kids to express their views on those topics through photography.
"A lot of girls who went through the project are very resilient and have witnessed these social issues in ways that many adults haven't," Pontius said.
Topics included self-esteem, diversity, life-long learning, community safety and positive leisure activities. The girls also wrote about which topic they valued most and ways they want to improve their community.
"Self-expression is important for any kid," said Jenny Preiss, director of operations and recreation at Girls Town. "But for these kids coming from a difficult or troubled past, to be able to express that in a positive way is a great thing."
Some residents of Girls Town have escaped abuse or neglect at home. School officials they can't be identified due to privacy concerns. However, in the bios the girls wrote, many talked about their wishes for a safer community and their confidence in themselves.
"When we came in and introduced the project, there was very little eye contact and communication," Pontius said. "(By the end), all of them have increased self-confidence."
Schuster said one eye-opening session was on diversity. One of the girls took a picture of a row of identical white cars, and talked about how you can't tell from the outside what the cars are like on the inside: tidy or dirty, luxurious or beat-up.
Pontius expressed gratitude to the local organizations and businesses that made PhotoVoice possible.
"I felt like it was a great blend because we had two social agencies coming together with a small business," she said.
H&H Color Lab in Raytown printed the photos for free, Court Street Custom Framing provided a discount on matting and the Art House allowed CMCA and Girls Town to hold their exhibit there, Pontius listed.
To see the photos, visit LuLu's Frozen Yogurt beginning next week.