Belonging — EMMA JO VITALLO

Belonging Project

Faces of Belonging

Faces of Belonging is a collaborative art project that promotes belonging amongst individuals who live, work, and study in DeKalb, Illinois. Our community is inhabited by a rich network of diverse individuals, each contributing their own unique perspectives and varied life experiences to DeKalb. Our project honors the faces and voices of community members who work to create a sense of belonging.

Our photographic portraits capture individuals that work to create a sense of belonging for others in our community. These portraits show each person in a place in DeKalb that creates a sense of belonging for them. Excerpts from our interviews share insight about each person’s life-story, the meaning of belonging, and how to create a sense of belonging for everyone in DeKalb. Whether that is through social justice work, promoting equity, mentoring, or ensuring the safety of our community, each of these individuals make DeKalb a more welcoming place to be.

These faces remind us...all of us Belong.

The images from Faces of Belonging are made by Amy Fleming, Jacob Rivera, Edwin Perez-Hernandez, Maeve Wallace, and Emma Vitallo.

Belonging in STEAM

This project is an extension of Faces of Belonging, and we gained inspiration to collaborate with individuals within STEAM fields after viewing the film Picturing a Scientist. Through outreach and research, we accumulated a diverse group of participants across the NIU campus in STEAM fields. As a group, we came together to discuss the importance of this project and how to accurately and authentically represent the different individuals who volunteered to be included in this project.

The Belonging in STEAM Team includes Jessica Labatte and Amy Fleming, with images made by Jayla Watkins, Edwin Perez-Hernandez, Drew Dzurko, and Emma Vitallo.