'Boomer List' highlights generation's cultural icons

Even if you weren't born between 1946 and 1964 - the years that define the celebrated Baby Boomer generation - the photos on display at Naper Settlement still may strike a chord.

The Naperville museum village is hosting "The Boomer List," a traveling exhibit of photographs by New York portrait photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders that features 19 iconic faces from that era.

The photos are on display inside the Naper Gallery and the Heritage Gallery of the settlement's Pre-Emption House through March 16.

"It's doing its Midwest premiere here at the settlement," said Lance Tawzer, the settlement's director of innovation and experience.

The large-format photo exhibition, presented by the Newseum in Washington, D.C., in conjunction with AARP, includes iconic faces of the Baby Boomer generation. Among them are authors, actors, musicians, writers, a fashion designer, an environmentalist, an athlete and a New Age teacher.

"They have picked an influential Baby Boomer from each year," Tawzer said. "For each one, it has a very large portrait in a very cool frame."

Portrait subjects include Billy Joel, Steve Wozniak, Deepak Chopra, Erin Brockovich and Tommy Hilfiger. Tawzer said each photo is captioned with about 250 words that help put them into context. But that's just half the exhibit.

"The other half dives into it from a content standpoint," he said.

Interactive elements involve touch and smell, along with interpretive graphics.

Tawzer, who joined the Naper Settlement staff about six months ago, said the exhibit has traveled to museum locations on the East and West coasts, but has not been on display in this region. When he encountered an opportunity to bring it to Naperville, he said he acted quickly.

"I sort of jumped on it," he said. "It has a relevance to us, locally, with our large Baby Boomer constituency."

Beyond that, he said, visitors of any age can gain insight into the cultural movements and historic events that have taken place as Baby Boomers came of age.

Tawzer said Naper Settlement visitors can expect to see more such topical exhibitions.

"Going forward, we're aiming for more relevancy, more community engagement," he said. "That's what makes a museum exciting."

If you go

What: "The Boomer List: Photographs by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders"

When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays through March 16

Where: Naper Settlement, 523 S. Webster St., Naperville

Admission: Included in museum admission of $5.25 for adults, $4.75 for seniors, $4 for youth; free for ages 3 and younger, members and Naperville residents

Info: (630) 420-6010 or napersettlement.org