Moving from snapshot to civic action: Disseminating photovoice results to the community

Photovoice is a participatory research approach that combines photography and critical discussion as a means for empowering participants to guide data collection and analysis efforts; the results are intended to inform social action. Clear methods have been developed for engaging participants in the photovoice process; however, very little research has detailed methods for engaging non-photovoice participants (e.g., other stakeholders) in dissemination efforts. This presentation will describe several methods used to disseminate the results of a photovoice project conducted by 18 adult and youth public housing residents. This project focused specifically on residents' perceptions of their neighborhood environment. We will elaborate on one dissemination effort: a public museum exhibition that featured 76 of the participants' photos, titles, and captions. An evaluation strategy, “LENS”, was developed to encourage non-photovoice participants to critically reflect on the messages and meanings conveyed through photovoice artwork. Content analysis of responses from 200 observers of the public museum exhibition featuring the photovoice artwork will be presented. Results reveal that the LENS approach facilitated critical engagement between non-participants and the photovoice artists, challenged dominant paradigms about public housing communities, and informed ideas for intervention strategies for creating healthy community environments.