A new Elder Gallery photography exhibit displays the innocence, experiences, and curiosities of childhood.

“Beyond Portraiture: Childhood” opens at Nebraska Wesleyan University’s Elder Gallery on February 1 and continues through April 19. An opening reception will be held Friday, February 1 from 5 to 7:30 p.m.

The show features the work of five photographers from across the country who all share their thoughts, experiences, and ideas of childhood. Nebraska Wesleyan University alumna Krista Popp curated the exhibit.

Featured photographers include:

LaNola Stone — a New York City professional photographer, artist, author, and educator. Most recently Stone published the well-received book, Photographing Childhood: the image & the memory. In this show, Stone shares a series of images of her childhood experiences.

Sarah-Marie Land — a photography student at Saint Louis Community College who already holds a master’s degree in French and a bachelor’s degree in French and international politics. Her work has been displayed at The Joyce Gordon Gallery in Oakland, the Philadelphia Photo Arts Center, and the Wall Space Gallery in Seattle. Her portraits feature individuals dressed in school uniforms as she questions her personal ideas of education, family, and community.

Shannon Smith — born and raised in Kentucky where she earned her degree at Northern Kentucky University. She then earned a master’s degree from the University of Arizona, home of the Center for Creative Photography. She now teaches photography at a local college preparatory school. In the NWU exhibit, Smith includes photographs of her own unplanned family that capture short-lived experiences that were not part of her master plan.

Stretch Ledford — a journalism professor at the University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign. He has worked as a visual storyteller in 51 countries on five continents. Ledford’s photographs and short films have been published throughout the U.S. and Europe, and in 2001, his work was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in photography. He cautions his photos may be dangerous to people’s worldview as he highlights children who are born in the most economically wealthy societies.

Krista Popp — a recent Nebraska Wesleyan University graduate who earned a fellowship to continue working on her art in pursue of graduate school. She currently works at a Lincoln photography studio. Her photos demonstrate her passion to portray kids in their natural environment.

Elder Gallery is located at 50th Street and Huntington Ave. in the Rogers Center for Fine Arts. Gallery hours are Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday-Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m. Closed on Monday.