2012 is the tricentennial of the birth of Jean-Jacques Rousseau (Geneva, 1712—Paris, 1778). The University of Notre Dame has partnered with Amnesty International to launch the American début of DIGNITY, a photographic exhibit on poverty and human rights first unveiled in Paris in 2010. Alongside the DIGNITY show (featuring portraits from Mexico, Egypt, India, Nigeria, and Macedonia) there is an exhibit drawn from the Snite permanent collection called A Person’s Worth which shows how the poor have been represented in 18th to 20th-century art. A Person’s Worth includes drawings and photographs by artists such as Cochin, Goya, Millet, Kollwitz and Nadar. Study guides for visitors reveal linkages between the two exhibits and the writings of Rousseau.
(For a copy of the illustrated study guide, please consult the “Teach This!” link on the ND DIGNITY website.)
