NEW YORK, NY.- The exhibition Pen, Lens & Soul: The Story of The Beautiful Project is on view in The Ruth and Harold D. Uris Center for Education at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it will be on view through February 24, 2020. Pen, Lens & Soul, the first New York exhibition created by The Beautiful Project, presents over a decade of work by image makers and storytellers, including young artists as well as their adult mentors and coaches, who create spaces for black girls and women to express their power and beauty.

The exhibition features photography and writing from young artists who have been trained to use the camera and pen to document how they see the world and their aspirations. Founded in 2004, The Beautiful Project is a collective of black artists, scholars, and educators who encourage and equip black girls and women to be the caretakers of their needs, images, and stories.

"This presentation is a celebration of the incredibly talented girls and women who have channeled their experiences into powerful art," said Sandra Jackson-Dumont, the Museum's Frederick P. and Sandra P. Rose Chairman of Education. "We are proud to partner with a fellow member of the Collaborative for Creative Practice and Social Justice to host the first exhibition featuring the work of such a vital organization."

"I hope when our young artists walk through the exhibition they will meet their undeniable selves, and see clearly what their creativity and diligence inspired. The world needs to hear their voices," said Jamaica Gilmer, Founder and Executive Director of The Beautiful Project. "We wanted to offer black girls and women a space of sisterhood and hope."

Pen, Lens & Soul: The Story of The Beautiful Project was organized by Jamaica Gilmer, Khayla Deans, Erin M. Stephens, and Pamela Thompson of The Beautiful Project.

The Beautiful Project is a collective of image makers using photography, writing, and care to create spaces for black women and girls to confront the mass misunderstanding, misrepresentation, and misuse of their likeness in the media and in the world at large.