BY CLAIRE MOORE
Whidbey Life Magazine Contributor
September 14, 2016

Photographer Marie Plakos, a Whidbey Island resident, has been invited to present her work in a one-woman exhibit at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, Georgia. Opening on Sept. 13, the exhibit will remain in place through late December. It includes images of women and children from India, Ghana, Peru and Mexico.

Plakos travels the world, photographing women in their everyday lives. Her project, “Our Sister’s Keeper,” supports the work of the Jimmy Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta. President Carter says that human rights abuse of women and girls worldwide is the most important issue of our times.

“When I read President Carter’s book ‘A Call to Action,’ I knew my images were in support of his ‘Forum for Women’ at the Carter Center,” Plakos said.

The poster for the exhibit

Plakos is building awareness of the beauty, endurance and strength of these women through her photography and her website. She wants viewers to also have knowledge of the many hardships and challenges the women and children face throughout their lives. She writes of her experiences with the women she has met and includes articles and information about their human rights abuses. Her website also has a video of President Carter speaking to this issue.

“I have embarked upon this photographic project to honor the women I have met all over the world and to bring their stories to viewers in a compelling fashion,” Plakos said. “This has been a dream of mine, to exhibit at the Carter Presidential Library and Museum, so that the stories of the women I have photographed can be seen and heard.”

Marie Plakos, right, with President Carter and Roslyn Carter, center, and her husband John on the left. (photo courtesy of Marie Plakos)

A few of the many images included in the show at the Carter Center can be seen below. Plakos’ website with additional images can be viewed at www.oursisterskeeper.org.

A women in Ghana  (photo by Marie Plakos)

Young girls from Chiapas, Mexico (photo by Marie Plakos)

Young girls from Gujarat, India (photo by Marie Plakos)

Two women in India   (photo by Marie Plakos)

A young gir in Peru  (photo by Marie Plakos)

A woman in Witch Camp, Ghana  (photo by Marie Plakos)

Claire Moore is a retired graphic artist and writer who lives on Whidbey Island.

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