LINE4LINE began as a program deeply embedded in the belief that visual literacy supports reading. Images tell stories.

Photographing LINE4LINE became a way to document  the success of the program in a simple, efficient and straightforward way. It was also aligned to the original intent of  the program – honoring the power of the visual narrative. These interior action photos quickly morphed to include a  series of formal portraits taken by German photographer Simone Schmidt and LSU Graduate Art Student Tania Innis. These striking images posed with solid bright backdrops (a new color for each month of the program) served to honor the boys and their barbers. A selection of these photos were featured in an exhibition held at LSU Museum of Art in May 2016.

In 2018  Simone Schmidt returned to Louisiana to document Chicago based artists, Rahmaan Statik and Cujoh, creating the LINE4LINE Mural. This public art project funded by a grant from the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge was based in part on her 2015 & 2016 photos. The murals were finished on Monday May 7, and for that evening’s LINE4LINE program Simone began a new series of portraits using the mural to set the scene.