Photo art from Amstetten: Students show America's influence on the Mostviertel

Photo art from Amstetten: Students show America's influence on the Mostviertel

The anticipation grows in Amstetten, because on Thursday, June 12, 2025, a very special exhibition will open in the Rathausgalerie. Under the title "Amstetten meets America - a journey through cultures and times", students from HLW Amstetten show their photographic work, which deal with their region in the Mostviertel and with influences from the American cultural landscape.

inspired by the impressive photo series "American Prospects" by US photographer Joel Sternfeld, who was shown last year in Albertina in Vienna, the students document the change in their homeland. Sternfeld's works that were created between 1978 and 1986 focus on topics such as consumer culture and traffic. These approaches offer young artists a template to process their own experiences and critical perspectives. The students added their projects to their projects with photographs and drawn comics in which they target modern influences on rural structures.

The exhibition not only stimulates thinking, but also represents the region in a new light. In recent years, photography has become increasingly important, not only as an art form, but also as a medium in cultural education. It is all the more important to integrate this art form into school education and motivate students to actively perceive and present their environment. As reports Kubi-Online , the preoccupation with photography not only promotes creative expression, but also reflection processes and the formation of identity.

The opening of the exhibition takes place at 6.30 p.m. and is accessible to everyone interested until July 12, 2025. A visit is worthwhile to appreciate the creative work of the students and to explore the connection between the rural surroundings in the Mostviertel and the American influences.

Photography has a long tradition in the history of cultural education; In Germany, the "Youth photographed" campaign was launched in the 1950s to offer young people a space for self -expression. More and more young people now recognize the importance of silent image and appreciate photography as an expression. After all, the number of participants in the German Youth Foto Prize rose within just two decades from 700 to 7,000, which underlines the growing importance.

For everyone who wants to learn more about Joel Sternfeld and his impressive series, there is on his website Further information . In Amstetten, the connection between home and culture is kept alive, and the students of the HLW impressively show how photography can be used as a medium for personal and community growth.