Events

The Loveliest Girl in the World is a coming-of-age story of marginalized children becoming visible, realized by artist Miina Savolainen who portrayed ten girls growing up in a children's home. The overlooked and mistreated girls were photographed on their own terms in order for the girls and those around them to appreciate their worth. The idea for the project was borne out of Miina Savolainen´s understanding that verbal communication was not a sufficient tool to heal children whose trust had been broken with words. Empowering photography, borne out the project, has been used in Finland i! n therapy, education and workplace development since the year 2000. This award-winning social innovation developed by Savolainen elevates the exchange of a gaze into a tool for dialogic interaction and workplace improvement. The method reverses the balance of power between the photographer and the subject by creating a process of dialogue and transforming the photograph into an instrument of self-discovery.

Miina Savolainen is a community-art photographer, art and social educator from Helsinki whose works deal with social engagement. She has educated more than 3,000 professionals in Finland to apply the method of empowering photography in social work, health care and education. She has been awarded with Cultural Award of Finnish Medical Society Duodecim, Christina Award of Gender Studies by Helsinki University, Young Photographer of the Year and State Award of Children´s Culture. The Loveliest Girl in the World exhibition is on display in Washington, D.C. from October 19 to November 13, 2011, courtesy of the Embassy of Finland in United States.