Visit to the World Press Photo Exhibit: Museo Franz Mayer

On September 27th the IB Language and Literature students visited the Museo Franz Mayer to see the annual World Press Photo Exhibit.  The purpose of the visit was to expand their world view and get them thinking about global issues, which is an integral part of the IB course, particularly when preparing for their Individual Oral exams.  Additionally, this trip would further hone their ability to evaluate photographs as a non-literary text type.   

We are very fortunate here in Mexico City as we are one of only 60 cities worldwide that hosts this exhibit. According to the World Press Photo website, the exhibit includes “24 regional winners and six honorable mentions - covering stories from the front lines of conflict, culture, identity, migration, memories of lost pasts and glimpses of near and distant futures.” 

Our Humanitree students respectfully engaged with the photographs, many of them diligently taking notes and provoking interesting conversation around the global issues that were presented.  After spending time analyzing the photographs, we had lunch in the museum’s cafe and courtyard where our students were complimented by another visitor to the museum who  noted that they were extremely well behaved.    

In the weeks following the exhibit, students chose their favorite collection of photographs to more deeply explore.  They then presented their findings and analysis to their classmates. Here are some examples of Flight 3 students closely annotated photographs.  

Flight 3 noted that the photos that were most impactful were “the most graphic photos that portrayed civilians in war. They were definitely shocking, sharp, images.  They were really raw and personal. Some photographers got really close to the subjects, showing their vulnerable side.” Based on these comments, it is safe to say that this trip was a valuable experience for our students. 

Photo credits to Mateo Garibay.