On Independence Mall this weekend, a 16-panel, open-air photo exhibit will transcend death tolls and casualty counts to humanize the war in Iraq. Co-sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee and 9/11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, "Dreams and Nightmares: Daily Life in Iraq" contrasts shots of Iraqi civilians in times of joy and vitality with photos of dead and injured innocents, including women and children. Short biographies accompany some of the pictures, while the combat boots of Pennsylvania soldiers who lost their lives in Iraq will also be on display.

Philadelphian Linda Panetta is one of the featured photographers. Panetta, who visited Iraq in the winters of 2003 and 2004, says the photos emphasize common human experience and the similarities between Iraqis and Americans.

"I don't think any Americans—unless they've actually been [to Iraq]—can fully understand the depth of suffering and chaos and fear that's part of daily life for the Iraqi people," she says. "For me, it's really about showing the human face to help people identify with the children as looking so much like their own, perhaps. I want to put a personal touch on these people who I consider my sisters and brothers and hope that others will look at them the same."

In May, the exhibit visited the National Mall in Washington, D.C., as part of the AFSC's "Eyes Wide Open" program.

"I visited [the exhibit] when it was in Washington," says Melissa Elliott, an Iraq project assistant with the AFSC. "It's hard to envision or describe the whole thing. ... People get silent and really meditate over it."