11 BFA photography majors to showcase, discuss generation of young adult

Imagine life post-graduation.

Some graduates see themselves entering the workforce with degrees in hopes of finding high-paying jobs; however, a recent article in the New York Times has shed light upon problems facing this generation of young adults — dubbing them the 20-somethings.

These post-grads have inspired 11 BFA photography majors to present a special photography exhibition entitled “The 20-Somethings” Friday at the Paper Crane Gallery.

In the Times article, the 20-somethings are characterized as kids who face a high rate of moving back in with their parents and career change.

The article also suggests that 20-somethings are taking much longer to settle into adulthood than ever before, and this stage of emerging adulthood is something future generations will face.

The question of “what’s taking the 20-somethings so long to grow up?” is complex, but the BFA students set out to answer it with their new exhibit.

Senior Molly Quanty chose to illustrate the future effects of social security on the 20-somethings.

“My shot was taken at the Monroe Courthouse and shows a college-aged person in nice clothes begging for money for their retirement,” Quanty said. “Social Security doesn’t seem like a big issue now, but when we are older and the baby boomers have all retired, our funds for Social Security will be at risk.”

All photographers collaborated with each other during the shoots, each assuming different jobs on set for each photo. Each individual shoot took up to five hours to complete.

“The benefits of working with a large group of creative people is that the ideas are constantly flowing,” senior Valerie Leeksaid. “We had to keep reminding ourselves to keep our spirits high because doing eleven full production photo shoots throughout the semester can really knock the wind out of you.”

Leek chose to play upon the concept of Peter Pan for her photo because she said many people refer to the 20-something generation as the “Neverland Generation.”
She said this concept refers to her particular age group because trends are showing that they are taking longer to grow up and endure adult responsibilities in comparison to previous generations.

“Each college graduate faces the choice to go into the real world and get a job or stay in Neverland and never grow up,” Leek said.

Another issue looming over the heads of the 20-somethings is military enlistment. Senior Kristen Endres said this issue is personal to her because she has friends who have enlisted in the Air Force and the Army.

“I chose to depict a job fair in which a long line is present at the reenlistment table and no one seems remotely interested in the business type table,” Endres said.
Leek said she is excited that the group chose a concept that they could all relate to and be enthused about.

“This project isn’t necessarily meant to discuss how the 20-somethings are doing everything wrong, but rather to enlighten people about how they are doing it differently,” Leek said.

"The 20-Somethings"
WHEN 8 p.m. Friday through Dec. 13
WHERE Paper Crane Gallery, 401 W. Sixth St.
ADMISSION Free
MORE INFO Eleven BFA photography majors will present an exhibit discussing the current generation of post-grads.