A Stunning Photo Exhibit

 “This profound book is medicine for our hurting souls, celebrating as it does the gift of people expressing their love and passion through skilled work with their hands.”

                                       ~ Matthew Fox, The Reinvention of Work

As our society gets more and more technology based and further from the production process, there is a renewed interest in the rediscovery of skills and professions that rely on working hands. From setting metal type to turning wood and hauling nets, these hands know the weight of a letter, the direction of the grain, the bounty of the sea. The healing power of hands has long been known as well, and the fact that our personalities can be read in a palm or by the very calluses we work to conceal. 

Hands at Work is an extraordinary exhibit of photographs and quotes from the makers whose hands and work are featured. Museums who host “Hands at Work” have the option of adding their own artifacts that connect to the images or to simply present the show in the purity of images and words.

Twenty-four (16″ x 20″) framed images with accompanying quotes make up the 1,000-1,500 square-foot exhibit along with a mirror that encourages visitors to frame their own hands, asking the questions, “What work do your hands do? To what work do they aspire?”

About the Creators

Hands at Work is a heartfelt collaboration between photographer Summer Moon Scriver and author Iris Graville offering insight into the enduring satisfaction of work that relies on the tactile experience of using one’s hands.

Drawn from a wide array of interviews and photo shoots conducted by Graville and Scriver, Hands at Work features a number of people who live and work in Puget Sound; many are from Lopez Island, Washington, home to Graville and Scriver. In addition to creating the exhibit, the pair’s 144-page hardcover book has received numerous awards including a National Best Books Award in Photography, an Outstanding Book award by Independent Publishers (IPPY), and a gold Nautilus Book Award.

Exhibit Details (BSS-ExhibitPage-Hands)

Rental fee is $1,500 for 3 months, including:

24 framed photographic prints (16″ x 20″ each)

24 mounted pull quotes

1 Title Panel

Title wall vinyl design

1 copy of Hands at Work, the book

Public Program and Curriculum kit

Press kit

1 day installation assistance (travel costs additional)

Ancillary products such as the award-winning book, frame-quality photographic prints, and note cards are available for museum gift shops.

Sample Installation Gallery (Please note that graphics are being redesigned to print black on frosted Plexiglas with stand-offs.)

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A midwife catches a newborn baby. A gardener thinks of her hands as rototillers in the soil. A sculptor discovers what’s in the stone. A physical therapist, a reef net fisherman, a chef, a blacksmith, a potter…these and many more individuals relate the challenges, the mystery, the raw beauty, and the pure enjoyment inherent in what they do. Find them all in Hands at Work: Portraits and Profiles of People Who Work with Their Hands.