(Photo submitted by Dave Gentilini)
This semester, the Schumacher Gallery will exhibit the works of Danny Lyon, one of the nation’s preeminent street photographers.
The exhibition, “Danny Lyon: Memories of the Southern Civil Rights Movement,” is presented alongside a sister exhibit featuring photos taken during the June 2020 racial justice protests in downtown Columbus.
From 1962-1964, Lyon worked as the staff photographer for the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), traveling alongside the civil-rights group as they organized marches, sit-ins, and demonstrations across the Southern United States. His shots helped to define the genre of photojournalism, and they document the bitter struggle for civil rights.
Lyon’s photographs feature late SNCC chairman and Congressman John Lewis, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., musician Bob Dylan, and numerous other civil rights activists and leaders during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
The shots capture everyday moments and conversations, highlighting the youthful camaraderie that existed between members of the movement.
The photos also show arrests made during demonstrations, teenage girls crowded into prison cells, women bloodied after attempting to register to vote, and crowds of hostile opponents gathering.
Presented together, Lyon’s shots objectively encapsulate history, preserving a comprehensive record of the battles fought in pursuit of equality.
Dave Gentilini, the director of the Schumacher Gallery, says that he booked Lyon’s show four years ago—it was the first exhibition that he booked upon coming to the Gallery. The sister exhibit, presented in conjunction with the Greater Columbus Arts Council, was added to the schedule during the fall.
Looking at the photographs hung beside one another, Gentilini said, “It seems as if the only thing that’s changed is the fashion.”
The #ArtUnitesCBus photographers featured in the exhibit are Kendel Boone, Jamie Caesar, Teri Dashfield, Asia Glenn, Rae Holloway-Collins, Ezra Ngalo, and Brittoney Roane.
Also on display in the Schumacher Gallery and around the library are pieces of the Black Lives Matter Mural Project; the murals were painted on the boards put up to protect the glass of downtown businesses.
The photos from last summer are obviously more modern—some of the shots play with color, accenting the action. Still, the mood of the shots is an echo of Lyon’s photos, a resounding cry to voice anger at the injustices of the world.
In her submitted author statement, Asia Glenn writes, “It is my honor to capture this moment in the Black Lives Matter movement.” Truly, the photographers of today are carrying on a tradition exemplified by Lyon half a century earlier.
The exhibit will remain in the Schumacher Gallery until March 27. The Gallery’s hours are Monday-Friday, 12:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m., and Saturday, 1:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
