Potential Space: A Serious Look at Child’s Play
Dates: August 31st – November 17th, 2024
Location: The Iowa Children’s Museum
Explore the Exhibit
Step into “Potential Space: A Serious Look at Child’s Play,” a powerful temporary art installation by acclaimed photographer Nancy Richards Farese. This inspiring exhibit celebrates the universality and profound impact of play, showcasing captivating photographs taken over sixteen years in fourteen different countries.
A common misconception about play is that it is unimportant. This exhibition is organized to promote play as a public value and suggests that we take play —the science, the social implications, and the wildly accessible benefits for health and well-being — much more seriously. Nothing lights up the brain like play, and here we invert the notion of adults teaching kids and instead let kids model for us how to use play to reduce stress, adapt to change, and have fun. This catalog of global play explores the culture, traditions, and universality of games. We know play when we see it, anywhere in the world.
Highlights of the Exhibition
- Witness the universality of play through photographs that capture the joy, creativity, and resilience of children from various cultures and backgrounds.
- Discover how play lights up the brain, reduces stress, and fosters adaptability and fun.
- Engage with the stories behind the photographs and reflect on the importance of play in your own life and community.
Key Dates and Events
- Ribbon Cutting Ceremony: September 12th at 4:30 PM
Join us as we celebrate the opening of this extraordinary exhibit and kick off our 25th Anniversary festivities.
- Gallery Hours: September 24th from 8:30-10 AM, September 26th from 6-7:30 PM, and by-appointment walkthroughs
These special tours are free and open to everyone, including those without children. To take a tour, simply visit the museum’s front desk during these times.
- Focus on Fun: A Global Play Day: October 20th from 10 AM to 6 PM
Families are invited to enjoy interactive museum activities inspired by the “Potential Space” exhibit, including sing-alongs, international game stations, and opportunities to engage directly with Nancy Richards Farese as she shares stories, leads creative projects, and explores the exhibit with visitors.
- Meet Photographer Nancy Richards Farese: October 21st at Noon
A special event with Photographer Nancy Richards Farese. During this presentation, Nancy will delve into her creative process, share insights on her work, and discuss the critical role of play in our lives.
- 25th Anniversary Celebration: November 16th & 17th
This installation is part of our 25th anniversary celebration! Mark your calendars for a weekend of festivities celebrating a quarter-century of inspiring play and learning at The Iowa Children’s Museum.
About Nancy Richards Farese
Nancy Richards Farese is a photographer, artist, writer, and social entrepreneur. Founder of PhotoPhilanthropy (2009), and CatchLight (2015), her work explores the role of the arts and media in civil society and leveraging the power of visual storytelling for the social good. Nancy is an award-winning social documentary photographer, working with social development agencies to address social and political conditions globally. She has photographed with CARE International as a Photo Ambassador, with the United Nations High Commission on Refugees, RefugePoint, and The Carter Center, among others. She is the author of Potential Space: A Serious Look at Child’s Play, published by MW Editions 2021. Her photography and writing have been widely published.
Nancy is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and The Harvard Kennedy School. She was a fellow at the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at The Harvard Kennedy School where she was teaching, writing, and researching the evolution of visual journalism and its impact on policy and academic discourse. Nancy is a 2023 MFA graduate of Maine Media Collage where she completed Add|Mix|Fold as her thesis work. She serves on the board of Southwire Company, the NPR Foundation, F3 Charitable Foundation and as Board Chair for CatchLight. She is originally from Carrollton, GA, and currently lives in Marin County, CA.
Exhibit Support: This installation is made possible by the generous support of New Leader Manufacturing. We also extend our gratitude to Shuttleworth & Ingersoll for sponsoring our gallery hours and special events, ensuring that this exhibit is accessible to all.
