What shapes how we view ourselves and each other?
Each of us has characteristics and qualities of who we are—like our personality, tastes, style—and we also have other distinguishing facets including cultures or social groups that we are affiliated with.
Introduction
Who are you? It’s a seemingly simple question with complex and potentially infinite answers. What truly defines who you are? Each of us has our own characteristics and qualities—like personality, preferences, and style—and we also have other distinguishing attributes including the cultural or social groups we belong to. In developing a list of who we are and what defines us, it becomes evident that our personal sense of identity is tied to our relationships to other people and how we are perceived. If our identities are socially constructed, how much of who we are is imposed, and how much is genuine to who we want or know ourselves to be?
Want to see more of Wing Young Huie's Frogtown series?
You can see the entire Frogtown series in Mia’s collection here.
Wing Young Huie
Wing Young Huie’s photographs explore the interconnectedness of personal and social identities, getting us to think about how people identify themselves and how others identify them. Huie was born in Duluth, Minnesota, in 1955. In college at the University of Minnesota Duluth, he initially planned to become a journalist, but he decided to pursue photography after taking a one-week workshop with renowned street photographer Garry Winogrand (1928–1984).
Mia has a collection of 132 photographs from Wing Young Huie’s “Frogtown” series, his first major project. Frogtown is one of the oldest neighborhoods in St. Paul, Minnesota, and is home to one of the largest Hmong communities in the United States.
© Wing Young Huie.
Huie’s photographs show residents congregating on the streets, inside their own homes and backyards, gathering for worship, and playing together. He spent two years (1993–95) approaching the residents of Frogtown, striking up conversations with strangers and asking if he could photograph them in their homes and neighborhood. About this process, Huie says, “A lot of people say no. I say, ‘Thank you. No problem,’ and move on. When you approach people, they have already made a decision about you based on what you’re wearing, your attitude, your race, your ethnicity. But once you open your mouth, you can change all that. So anything is possible.” Huie also encourages himself and his viewers to grapple with how we perceive other people and the world around us. He says, “The idea of stranger danger is embedded in our culture right now. Do not talk to strangers! I’ve photographed thousands of strangers, which is just another way of saying ‘people.’ ‘Stranger’ is such a loaded word. How do we define ‘other’? How did ‘other’ become a synonym for ‘stranger’?”
Huie is also passionate about teaching about his artworks and process. He gives presentations and leads workshops for K-12 classes, college students, nonprofits, and corporations with projects titled What Do You See? and Chalk Talks. Huie says an important part of these workshops is getting people to recognize our biases, whether looking at a photograph or at another person. Huie encourages us to create non-confrontational opportunities to challenge our assumptions and connect with people we thought were strangers.
Video: Wing Young Huie: artist profile
What shapes our view of the world? Duluth-born artist Wing Young Huie uses his photography to explore this question. The artist examines his work among community in the Twin Cities, as well as projects in China, where his family is from, always asking questions about who we are, who decides, and photography’s impact on those answers.
Video Discussion
What do you think are the main messages Wing Young Huie is communicating in this video interview? Give some examples to support your interpretation.
What do you think Wing Young Huie means when he says “most people feel what you see in a photograph did not really happen? They are all suspect.”
When Huie asks students “What shapes your view of the world?” they more often say photographs than real world experiences. For you personally, how do photographs shape your view of the world?
Huie says: “Why can’t you just be you?” Reflect on these words. What do they mean to you?
Teaching and Learning Strategies
Having students take their own photographs can provide a great entryway into having group discussions and dialogue around topics like assumptions, biases, and identity. Wing Young Huie has adapted his own photography process for classroom settings in his “Chalk Talk” process. You can contact and invite Huie to give a presentation or lead a workshop at your school.
If you live outside of Minnesota or can’t invite Huie himself to your classroom, the Teaching Tolerance website features an article “Understanding Implicit Bias Through Photography,” which shares how middle- and high-school students in rural Northeast Minnesota use Wing Young Huie’s photography as well as his “Chalk Talk” method to explore concepts of identity and implicit bias. The website also includes relevant lessons such as “Using Photographs to Teach Social Justice | Exposing Racism” and “Using Photographs to Teach Social Justice | Exploring Identity.”
The Making Caring Common Project has resources for families and educators curated by topic to encourage and support reflection and empathy for students across different identities. This document features a list of best practices and guidelines related to race, culture, and ethnicity providing links to relevant websites and resources.