If you ask photojournalist Kelly White what makes America beautiful as the nation marks its 250th birthday, she can point to her photos of everyday people, a collection that’s on display this month at the Evergreen Park Public Library.
And what makes the country special, she said, is the diversity those photos capture.
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“I think that represents America,” said White. “That everybody is different, everybody has their own personality and viewpoint. We all just come together and get rid of all the stereotypes. I think children represent that, they’re so innocent … and happy.”
The exhibit is spread across the first floor walls of the library. Subjects of the 42 pictures include veterans from Glen Maker American Legion Post 1160 in Chicago Ridge, area mayors, and of course many children. There’s also images of the Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial and other iconic American landmarks.
White, a longtime photographer, reporter and editor at Southwest Regional Publishing, decided on the theme America 250 after discussions with Frank Murray, the library’s director.
“She put together a beautiful exhibit,” Murray said. “I like how it captures everyday people. There are a lot of cute little kids in there.”
White, of Palos Park, also has an exhibit that opened in March at the Beverly Arts Center called Cheers to the South Side: A South Side Irish Pub Exhibit. It focuses on pub architecture and community.
For her America 250 presentation in Evergreen Park, she wanted to do something a little different.
“I decided to focus on expressions,” she said. “I want people to look at it and see reflections of themselves (and) the beauty of everyday people.”
She graduated with a degree in mass media communication from Saint Xavier University in Chicago, where she now is an adjunct communications professor.
“I took photo classes there and I kind of fell in love with it and wanted to intertwine it in my writing,” she said, adding taking photographs has also become a hobby. “It’s just relaxing and fun.”
Her colleague Cyndi Grobmeier, assistant professor of communications at Saint Xavier, called White “an amazing visual storyteller.”
“She really knows how to capture emotions,” Grobmeier said. “Of course in people, but she also knows how to capture the emotions in a scene. She brings that ability to understand what’s emotionally happening in front of her lens and capture that in a way that tells a story.”
Grobmeier also said White was able to convey those ideas to students.
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“She helps students learn to do the same thing,” said Grobmeier. “I think that’s such a critical skill for our future journalists, communications and public relations professionals to be learning. How do we capture the essence and emotional impact of a moment and how do we convey that so others can share it.”
But being a photojournalist is more than a skill or profession for White.
“I love everything about it,” said White. “It doesn’t feel like work. If it were up to me, I’d keep newspapers around forever.”
Janice Neumann is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.