{"id":535031,"date":"2026-07-06T02:03:53","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T02:03:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/535031\/"},"modified":"2026-07-06T02:03:53","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T02:03:53","slug":"arts-in-action-power-of-place-photography-exhibit-opens-in-dekalb-shaw-local","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/535031\/","title":{"rendered":"Arts in Action: Power of Place photography exhibit opens in DeKalb \u2013 Shaw Local"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s something special about the power of place. <\/p>\n

For Jayla Trenyce, the meaning is encapsulated throughout her new photography exhibit on display at the Ellwood House Museum in DeKalb<\/a> now through mid-December. <\/p>\n

\u201cI was excited to be a part of the \u2018Power of Place,\u2019 highlighting the Black community but also the Latinx community in DeKalb County, and to get their personal stories and to learn about their experience here in DeKalb County, and be able to share more not only about the place but the people that give this place its meaning,\u201d Trenyce said. <\/p>\n

The work of Trenyce is the latest addition to the Arts in Action initiative spearheaded by the Ellwood House Museum in partnership with the DeKalb County<\/a> History Center. <\/p>\n

Trenyce put in a myriad of hours researching the histories of fear, exclusion, and hope in telling the stories of Black and brown lives in DeKalb County. <\/p>\n

The photography exhibit centered specifically on community members attending the Israel of God\u2019s Church in Sycamore<\/a> and St. Mary Catholic Church in DeKalb. <\/p>\n

\"Jayla<\/p>\n

Jayla Trenyce (center) is all smiles on June 27, 2026, posing for a photo at the opening reception for her photography exhibit at the Ellwood House Museum in DeKalb. (Megann Horstead)<\/p>\n

\u201cAs this exhibition is called the \u2018Power of Place,\u2019 I wanted to put a lot of emphasis on people [who] came and cultivated this land literally and metaphorically,\u201d Trenyce said. \u201cI hope that their stories are able to be heard. I tried my best to authentically communicate things that they wanted to be communicated about their personal experiences and stories of DeKalb.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Saturday, Trenyce greeted the public during the exhibit\u2019s opening reception at the Ellwood House Museum. <\/p>\n

Trenyce said she is appreciative of the opportunity to have her work featured in the gallery at the Ellwood House Museum. <\/p>\n

Trenyce is a Northern Illinois University<\/a> graduate and an artist from Chicago. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis means a lot to me,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ve had a longstanding connection with the Ellwood House [Museum.] I had my first group show here when I was a student, and then I got an internship here over the summer. This means a lot to me, full-circle moments. I had my first solo exhibition here, as well. I feel grateful that they trusted me to contribute to the success of the Arts in Action project.\u201d<\/p>\n

DeKalb County History Center Executive Director Michelle Donahoe said she was happy to work with Trenyce. <\/p>\n

\u201cShe had a little more experience with not just photographing people but also physical places, and that was really part of the story,\u201d Donahoe said. \u201cIt\u2019s that nice balance where people need to have faces, so people can connect and see themselves in the story. But with this project, it\u2019s again that \u2018Power of Place\u2019 that we wanted to have the building or structure also be an important part of the story visually.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trenyce, who studied photography during her time at NIU, said working on the exhibit challenged her artistically. <\/p>\n

\u201cI do mostly conceptual portrait work,\u201d she said. \u201cI think that the architectural work is something that I was able to grow in in this experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trenyce hopes anyone who sees her exhibit walks away a little more open-minded about their experience living in DeKalb County. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s still some instances in today\u2019s society where … fear and exclusion may still ring true, but just acknowledging that and being able to come here, thrive, have ownership and entrepreneurial endeavors, it builds spaces that feel safe with their family in their places of worship, as well,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There\u2019s something special about the power of place. For Jayla Trenyce, the meaning is encapsulated throughout her new…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":535032,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[2273,307,304,305,306,208062,109705,308,93,61,60,1529,81022],"class_list":["post-535031","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-art","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-artsdesign","tag-dekalb","tag-dekalb-county","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-local-news","tag-shaw-local-front-headlines"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/535031","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=535031"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/535031\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/535032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=535031"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=535031"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=535031"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}