Primary school teacher Upile Tambala helps children in Malawi, one of the world's poorest countries, to receive a quality education. Tambala was trained by the DNS Teacher Training Program, which is supported by the American nonprofit Planet Aid. Photo courtesy of Planet Aid ©2015.
November 19, 2015–February 21, 2016
This exhibition was on view at the Skirball
November 19, 2015–February 21, 2016
“Hope is like a path in the countryside. Originally, there is nothing, but as people walk this way again and again, a path appears,” wrote Chinese essayist Lu Xun.
Inspired by the bestselling book A Path Appears, by Pulitzer Prize–winning journalists Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, the exhibition was both a gallery installation and a community engagement project—a place where every visitor could take practical, results-driven steps to bring about social change.
Innovatively designed pavilions explored four critical humanitarian issues: education, health, good jobs, and empowerment. Each pavilion emphasized the potential of grassroots action and showcased the work of organizations—both local and around the globe—that have developed workable solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems. At the end of the exhibition, visitors were invited to build a better world through ActionLab, a mobile-friendly tool that used storytelling to promote social change and spark a commitment to human rights.
A Path Appears: Actions for a Better World was presented in cooperation with media production company Show of Force, producer of the documentary A Path Appears; and with the WORLD Policy Analysis Center and the Global Media Center for Social Impact at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, which provided expert guidance during the development of the exhibition. It was guest curated by Neal Baer, MD, the Emmy-nominated television writer and producer (ER, Law & Order: SVU, Under the Dome) and co-founder of the Global Media Center for Social Impact.
Save the Children’s Early Steps to School Success program coordinator Victoria observes as mom Jalyssa reads to two-year-old Jayla during a home visit. Central Valley, CA. Photo by Susan Warner/Save the Children © 2015.
Twelve year-old Yessenia focuses in class during her first year of secondary school. Ollantaytambo, Peru. Photo by Kate Lord/She’s the First ©2015
Primary school teacher Upile Tambala helps children in Malawi, one of the world's poorest countries, to receive a quality education. Tambala was trained by the DNS Teacher Training Program, which is supported by the American nonprofit Planet Aid. Photo courtesy of Planet Aid © 2015.
Primary school teacher Upile Tambala helps children in Malawi, one of the world's poorest countries, to receive a quality education. Tambala was trained by the DNS Teacher Training Program, which is supported by the American nonprofit Planet Aid. Photo courtesy of Planet Aid © 2015.
Primary school teacher Upile Tambala helps children in Malawi, one of the world's poorest countries, to receive a quality education. Tambala was trained by the DNS Teacher Training Program, which is supported by the American nonprofit Planet Aid. Photo courtesy of Planet Aid © 2015.
Schoolgirls do their lessons at the SOPUDEP School in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Photo by Audrey Hall/Show of Force ©2015
Schoolgirls do their lessons at the SOPUDEP School in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Photo by Audrey Hall/Show of Force ©2015
Kennedy Odede and Jessica Posner with girls who attend their school in the Kibera slum of Nairobi, Kenya. Photo by Audrey Hall/Show of Force © 2015.
Students attend class at the Kibera School for Girls founded by Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO). SHOFCO combats gender inequality and extreme poverty in urban slums by linking tuition-free schools for girls to holistic social services for all. Nairobi, Kenya. Photo by Audrey Hall/Show of Force © 2015.
A1 Solar Light. d.Light and IDEO. Designed in San Francisco, delivered globally. Courtesy of d.Light
Biti Rose Nasoni. Masumba, Malawi. Photo by Nicholas D. Kristof
CleanCook. Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves. Delivered globally. Courtesy of Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves
Darius Coffey. Los Angeles. Photo courtesy of Chrysalis
Girl stands by a squalid creek in a slum called “Boston” in Cartegena, Colombia. Photo by Richard Fleming/Show of Force ©2015
go! Menstrual Pads. Sustainable Health Enterprises (SHE). Designed and manufactured in Rwanda, delivered globally. Courtesy of Elizabeth Scharpf/SHE
Girl at New Light Crèche, an organization in Kolkata, India that promotes gender equality through education and life-skill training to empower women and girls. Photo by Joshua Bennett/Show of Force ©2012
Peepoo Toilet. Peepoople. Designed in Sweden, distributed globally. High performance, fully biodegradable plastic. Courtesy of Martina Nee/Peepoople
Solar Mamas. Directors Mona Eldaief and Jahane Noujaim. Producers Mette Heide and Karim Amer. Independent Lens│PBS, 2014.
Solar Suitcase. We Care Solar. Designed and manufactured in San Francisco, delivered globally. Courtsey of We Care Solar.
Khadijah Williams, a South Central Scholar, poses in her cap and gown during her graduation from Harvard University. Cambridge, Massachusetts. Photo by Corey Harper/Courtesy of Khadijah Williams
Detail of A Path Appears: Actions for a Better World installation. Photo by BeBe Jacobs.
View the innovative gallery design for the exhibition at the Skirball.
Moving and shaking: Nicholas Kristof
Jewish Journal | February 3, 2016
Nicholas Kristof on “A Path Appears” at the Skirball Cultural Center
USC Global Health Travel Blog | January 28, 2016
A Path Appears: Actions for a Better World
Examiner | January 7, 2016
“A Path Appears” to Neal Baer, hence his “Actions for a Better World” exhibit
WeHo News | December 17, 2015
Skirball’s ‘A Path Appears’ maps out ways to help
Daily News | December 14, 2015
'A Path Appears' Highlights Poverty, Solutions
Voice of America | November 27, 2015
"A Path Appears" at Skirball to Make a Difference
Guardian Liberty Voice | November 24, 2015
Choose Your Path, Change the World
SkirBlog | November 24, 2015
heal the world: a path appears at the skirball
The Family Savvy | November 19, 2015
Turning inspiration into action at the Skirball
KCRW’s DnA | November 18, 2015
The Weekend Go Go: A Path Appears, Pancakes & Booze, Arroyo Arts Discovery Tour
The Go Go | November 18, 2015
5 Design Things to Do This Week
KCRW’s DnA | November 16, 2015
New Skirball exhibition channels the power of you
Jewish Journal | November 12, 2015
Skirball museum exhibition will issue a call to grass-roots social action
Los Angeles Times I September 18, 2015
A Path Appears: Actions for a Better World and its related educational programs at the Skirball Cultural Center WERE made possible through lead support from the following donors:
The Angell Foundation
Neal Baer
Edna McConnell Clark Foundation
Sidhu-Singh Family Foundation
Phoebe Snow Foundation
With additional generous support from:
The California Wellness Foundation
Joan and Jerry Doren
Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
Suzanne Lerner/Michael Stars Foundation
The Eileen Harris Norton Foundation
Wurwand Family Foundation
With additional support provided by:
Amoeba Music
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Dick Wolf
