PHILADELPHIA, PA.- Gathering Voice features select photographs and writing by Philadelphia schoolchildren participating in Learning Through Photography (LTP) at Moore. Works created by 4th–11th grade students will be on view July 23 – November 2, 2012 in City Hall as part of the Art in City Hall program and as poster installations in twenty-one bus shelters along Market Street in cooperation with the Center City District’s Art in Transit program.

Participating Philadelphia schools include: the Arts Academy at Benjamin Rush, CCA Baldi Middle School, Dimner Beeber Middle School, Grover Washington, Jr. Middle School, Nueva Esperanza Academy High School, Russell Byers Charter School, Warren G. Harding Middle School, William Cramp Elementary School, and William H. Ziegler Elementary School.

“Connecting with the community has always been a goal of this program,” says Liz Gilly, outreach and public programs coordinator at The Galleries at Moore. “A public installation raises public awareness of how teaching through visual art and everyday experiences improves verbal and written communication, and visual and cultural literacy.

Downloadable maps with program and installation information will be available on The Galleries at Moore and Center City District’s websites. Join the conversation about the program and its impact in Philadelphia schools and communities on The Galleries’ Twitter page at #LTPatMoore.

Additionally, an exhibition publication will be available in late fall, and a short documentary on the first year of the program through the eyes of students and teachers at William Cramp Elementary School will be released in August.

Now in its second year in Philadelphia schools, Learning Through Photography at Moore is an outreach initiative focusing on collaboration, community engagement, and the impact of art education on learning. LTP uses photography and writing as tools for learning through art, promoting in-classroom collaborative teaching, encouraging home and community participation in learning, and supporting Philadelphia’s citywide goal of improving literacy and arts access for school-age youth. In classrooms where Learning Through Photography has been used as a teaching tool, teachers have seen marked improvements in student behavior, attendance and writing skills, and observed in many students a newfound confidence in self expression.

Learning Through Photography at Moore is supported by grants from the US Institute of Museum and Library Services, The Elizabeth B. and Arthur E. Roswell Foundation, The Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation, The Elsie Lee Garthwaite Memorial Foundation and The Barra Foundation.