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The Dennos Museum Center

Grandmother Power: A Global Phenomenon

September 18, 2016 — January 31, 2017

grandmother powerActivist grandmothers are standing up for their grandchildren in a fight for political, economic and social justice. Their astonishing stories were the inspiration for this storytelling exhibition, based on the award-winning book Grandmother Power. For the first time in history, grandmothers are campaigning universally and vigorously for political, economic and social justice. And they are succeeding. There are more than 42 million grandmothers in the U.S. alone, and 1/2 of them are aged 44-65. They are younger, healthier, better educated and better off than they have ever been.

Paola Gianturco, a grandmother herself, has profiled 120 activist grandmothers in 15 countries on 5 continents in Grandmother Power: A Global Phenomenon. This internationally acclaimed book, with its impactful photographs and stories, was the inspiration for the exhibition. The exhibition Grandmother Power: A Global Phenomenon was developed by Grand Rapids Public Museum in cooperation with Genesis, Inc. Photography 2013 GRPM.

Audio Tour

Grandmother Power: An Introduction

1: Grandmothers End Darkness

2. Grandmothers Combat Illiteracy

3. Grandmothers Take on Dirty Business

4. Grandmothers Demand Justice

5. Grandmothers Pray for Peace and the Earth

6. Grandmothers Challenge Unhealthy Traditions

7. Grandmothers Raise Children Orphaned by AIDS