Making change, and creating justice, through art

In a new book dedicated as a “love letter” to his grandchildren, “in the hope they might be willing and able to change their world,” acclaimed photographer Richard Ross shares 101 lessons for life gleaned over a decades-long career documenting the juvenile justice system in the United States.

Comprising a series of numbered sections with each highlighting a key concept, words of wisdom or personal anecdote, “Art as a Weapon of Justice” aims to give readers — his target audience includes high school and college students — a set of tools for navigating life. The material is drawn from notes he took while producing his larger body of work that includes the books “Juvenile In Justice,” “Juvie Talk: unlocking the language of the juvenile justice system” and “Girls In Justice.”

“I just felt like there’s a generation of people who feel so impotent in terms of the number of challenges and disasters facing them,” said Ross, a professor emeritus of art. He sought to make the ideas “easily digestible” so readers could come away not only with a renewed sense of purpose, but also with some much-needed inspiration.

“If there are only two or three things in here that are going to work for someone, that’s all they need,” Ross said.