By Emily Burleigh

The Historic City Hall Arts and Cultural Center opened their third floor to the touring exhibition of National Geographic’s “Women: A Century of Change” on Saturday, June 4.

These photos taken by women, of women, create a living collection that spans different countries, cultures, ages, and time periods.

“The collection of images beautifully showcases past and present women from around the world and the challenges and triumphs we’ve faced… They all share one thing, women’s evolving role and resiliency in society,” stated Amanda Donaldson, Assistant Director for Historic City Hall Arts and Cultural Center. “I hope women from our community come to view this show and leave feeling empowered and inspired.”

 “Every audience that views these photographs can recognize the strength and beauty in them. The sections of this exhibit, joy, beauty, love, wisdom, strength, and hope are all a part of the journey and even where we have yet to go.”

This installation will include images from 30 different countries, spanning 130 years of National Geographic archival images.

“The National Geographic archive features many millions of images of the world’s women taken over the last century,” said Kathryn Keane, The Vice President of Public Programming and Director of the National Geographic Museum, during the exhibit’s initial release in 2019. “This exhibition is a way to bring this extraordinary collection to light.”

These archives allow museumgoers to peek into a vast history of womanhood. Women’s successes, hardships, and celebrations are all clearly shown through the images.

 “Every audience that views these photographs can recognize the strength and beauty in them,” said Donaldson. “The sections of this exhibit, joy, beauty, love, wisdom, strength, and hope are all a part of the journey and even where we have yet to go.”

 The show’s six featured chapters celebrate the triumphs of women from all over the world, with a focus on the past, present, and future challenges of different countries and historical periods. The photographs simultaneously display different facets of the feminine experience.

“Joy” is shown through images of women indulging in their unique passions, hobbies, and communities. “Wisdom” is displayed through the exchange of generational and cultural knowledge and shared experiences within women’s spaces.

 The experience of “Love” is personified by images of perseverance within romantic, maternal, and platonic relationships, while women’s “Beauty” is highlighted with photos of self-expression and self-care.

“Hope” is shown through images of good works and activism of women internationally. Lastly, “Strength” is represented as service, leadership, and steadfastness in the face of hardship.

Within the exhibition are “Through the Lens” panels that feature behind the scenes stories written by the photographers. These panels document their experiences while capturing some of the more impactful photos. This section brings the exhibit to life by illuminating the impact of the women behind this project as well as the women photographed.

The exhibit also breathes through the “Portraits of Power”. Renowned National Geographic photographer Erika Larsen explained, “A portrait is a conversation that has no time limit. It is both of the moment and beyond the moment.”

 “The ‘Portraits of Power’ component to the exhibit sheds light on activists, politicians, and celebrities living in our world now,” explained Donaldson. “We can’t possibly recognize and thank every woman in history who has carved a path for us, but we can thank the women who we know and recognize as leaders today.”

Some dynamic women featured amongst these portraits and intimate interviews are Melinda Gates, Zhang Xin, Asha de Vos, and Jane Goodall.

“Women: A Century of Change” was first opened on Oct. 22, 2019 to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the institution of the 19th amendment, which granted women the right to vote.

The exhibit was initially created to complement the book, “Women: The National Geographic Image Collection”.

Admission to the exhibition is free. The Historic City Hall is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The exhibition will be available for viewing until Sept. 13.

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For more information, please call 337-491-9147 or visit www.cityoflakecharles.com.