Community is one thing Hamline strives to create, both on and off campus. To bridge the gap between those two spaces, Introduction to Social Justice and Sound for Moving Image are combining the Social Justice and Digital Media arts disciplines to try to bring awareness to larger issues in the community. On May 20, these students will present a showcase entitled “Overlooked and Underheard: Image, Sound, Social Justice,” which combines photography from the area with custom made sounds, bringing light to some of the harder issues facing the Hamline-Midway community.

To get students thinking outside of the boundaries of their subject and campus, Social Justice professor Valerie Chepp and Digital Media Arts professor Josh Gumiela combined their passions into an interdisciplinary project. Students utilized “Photovoice,” a popular technique in which photography is used to highlight important community issues, with the innovative use of sound.

By adding sound to the popular “Photovoice” technique, this showcase brings a new dimension to issues in the community. Some of the topics covered include sexism, racial issues and homelessness. But don’t expect all negative aspects.

“It isn’t all dark and dreary,” says Professor Valerie Chepp. “You need hope.”

Along with highlighting some harder issues, this showcase also aims to show the community’s pride in images such as public art works and urban gardens. Students collaborate with each other and also with the surrounding neighborhood, building community with people outside of Hamline’s campus.

“Listening, paying attention and understanding your relationship to the community” were goals for the students in creating the project, according to Josh Gumiela. In a community undergoing changes, this showcase strives to highlight students’ participation in the community during a time of transition in the Hamline-Midway community, with new revitalization projects underway.

“It’s about having conversations,” says Chepp.

“Overlooked and Underheard: Image, Sound, Social Justice” will take place May 20 at Hamline-Midway Library Auditorium from 5-7 PM and will be open to the public. Refreshments will be provided and students are encouraged to attend to take part in the community conversation.