Image Credit: Zaloriea Jackson– Frontline Force

The Florida Museum of Photographic Arts is proud to partner with The Black Activist Photographers, a group of black professional photographers who have, and continue to, document the monumental collective cultural shifts happening in the current fabric of many societies and within black history — all of which is happening in the midst of a pandemic, immense cultural shifts, and a worsening economic depression. 

This extended three-part partnership will comprise of the exhibition in the community gallery of photographs by The Black Activist Photographers, a workshop on the importance and history of documentaries, followed by a secondary digital exhibit created by attendees who choose to apply the genre and elevate their voices and observations of cultural shits in a year of drastic changes.

The exhibition: The deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery sparked an unrest all over the United States and beyond. At the same time, COVID-19 swept the nation. Our country is seeing things a lot clearer now. Much like the The Eye of the Storm, black people have weathered through, but there is much more to come.

How the group formed:

“During the first day of capturing the protests, we noticed that there weren’t any photographers that looked like us. And with this movement being a monumental time in our history (black history), we decided we wanted to organize a group of professional black photographers, so, we created “The Black Activist Photographers.”

Workshop: The Florida Museum of Photographic Arts will be hosting a workshop on the crucial importance of cultural documentation with the medium of photography. Examples of past documentaries will be explored together with their immense influence on cultures and legislation. 

Moderated by Alexis Muellner, board member at FMoPA and editor of the Tampa Bay Business Journal.

Presentation by Pierre Dutertre, co-manager of education at FMoPA, on the work of Lewis Hine, Jacob Riis, Dorothea Lange and Kerry Mansfield

Presentation by Robin O’Dell, Curator of Collections at FMoPA on Bruce Davidson’s series East 100th Street.

Presentation by Karissa Hart, Black Activist Photographer  

Presentation by Dennis Thompson, Black Activist Photographer

Panel discussion moderated by Alexis Muellner.

Forward: Workshop attendees will be encouraged to create their own documentary photographs with subjects of personal importance. Images will be submitted for review and overall documentary feedback and may be displayed via the FMoPA Facebook page. 

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84225899265?pwd=NTZhOW9yeXRrN3ZicjhDb2I3WXRodz09

Meeting ID: 842 2589 9265
Passcode: nMafDrsY9O