About the Project
The Story Behind the Exhibition
Exhibition Overview
Images of Care explores caregiving as a universal human experience that affects everyone at some point in their lives. Through photographs and personal reflections, this exhibition documents the many forms that care can takes—within families, among friends, across communities, and through the small daily acts that sustain us.
The exhibition features 40 photographs organized across five thematic galleries: Growing Through Care, Care Through Illness, Everyday Acts of Care, Community and Chosen Family, and Legacy, Memory, and Love. Each photograph is accompanied by a contributor-written caption that provides personal context and meaning.
This digital exhibition makes these powerful images and stories accessible to anyone, anywhere. We invite you to move through the galleries at your own pace, to linger with images that speak to you, and to reflect on the care that shapes your own life.
Through this project, we hope to contribute to ongoing conversations about the value of care work, the challenges faced by caregivers, and the ways that communities can better support those who give and receive care.
Community-Participatory Approach
Images of Care was created through a community-participatory approach that centers the voices and perspectives of those who experience caregiving firsthand. Rather than photographs taken by outside observers, this exhibition features images and reflections shared by the community members themselves.
A group of gerontology researchers led by Dr. Joel Anderson, along with their students, community partners, and colleagues shared photographs and personal reflections exploring the intergenerational nature of giving and receiving care. This approach ensures that the exhibition authentically represents the diverse experiences of caregiving across different families, communities, and contexts.
Each contributor wrote their own caption for their photograph, sharing the personal meaning and context behind the image. These captions are essential to the exhibition, providing intimate glimpses into the relationships and moments captured.
Exhibition History
Images of Care was first presented as a physical exhibition in the community gallery at the McClung Museum of Natural History & Culture at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. The museum provided an ideal setting for this exploration of human connection and community, placing these contemporary photographs in dialogue with the museum's broader mission to illuminate human experience.
This digital exhibition extends the reach of that original presentation, making these images and stories accessible to a global audience while preserving the contemplative, museum-like viewing experience. We are grateful to Callie Bennett and Katie Malone at the McClung Museum for their partnership in bringing this project to life.
Project Goals
Make caregiving visible
Care often happens invisibly, in private spaces and quiet moments. This exhibition brings those moments into view, honoring the labor that sustains families and communities.
Center caregiver voices
Through contributor-written captions and community participation, this exhibition ensures that those who experience caregiving directly shape how their stories are told.
Foster reflection and connection
We hope viewers will see their own experiences reflected in these images and feel connected to a larger community of care.
Advance understanding
By documenting the many forms that care takes, this exhibition contributes to scholarly and public understanding of caregiving as a fundamental human experience.
Support caregivers
Ultimately, we hope this exhibition honors caregivers and advocates for the recognition and support they deserve.
“Care is both deeply personal and collectively shared. In witnessing these moments, we recognize our common humanity.”
— Exhibition Curatorial Statement