Photographer Michael Jacobson Hardy’s work often focuses on pretty serious stuff: city children struggling to learn from outdated textbooks in aging urban schools; factory workers facing the loss of their jobs as their employers prepare to shut down; and inmates serving their sentences in state prison. His latest exhibit is also serious, but it may leave viewers with a sense of hope. Jacobson-Hardy was commissioned by Northampton’s Council on Aging to do a series of photos of local senior citizens. The pictures are on display this month at the Forbes Library. He says an exhibit honoring elders was important at a time when our culture is obsessed with youth.

Michael Jacobson-Hardy’s photos of seniors are scheduled to be on permanent display at Northampton’s planned senior center, and this fall he’ll be the older person others look up to when he begins teaching photography and video at Northampton High School.