Social Photography: The Works of American Master Lewis Hine and Contemporary Artist Scott Lapham, a new exhibition, is on display at the Slater Mill Gallery from April 25, 2008 through June 27, 2008.
Through a grant from the National Endowment on the Arts American Masters program and the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts and Amica Insurance, Slater Mill presents the work of a true American Master Photographer, Lewis Hine. Known as one of America's first documentary photographers, Hine took photos of working conditions in factories and mills that became part of the documentary records that inspired the reform of child labor conditions throughout the nation. No matter how jarring his images, Hine allows his subjects their dignity and by doing so makes their context that much more vital. Lewis Hine's work forces us to ask questions about the value of the individual, the meaning of work, and what it means to be an American. Hine believed that his photographs could "exert the force to right wrongs" and was proven correct by history.
This exhibit consists of images Hine shot in Rhode Island in 1909 and 1912 juxtaposed with contemporary images of the same locations taken by local photographer Scott Lapham. Lapham's work is a contemporary artist's reaction to show not only the influence that Hine has on contemporary artists but that the use of photographic art to create and enhance social awareness is as necessary and vibrant today as it was a century ago.
This exhibit will also travel to Rhode Island schools and libraries and will reach a variety of audiences. A primary focus will be to involve high school students by offering these images with an interpreted presentation in both Spanish and English in an effort to build interest in the history of our local communities as well as in the artwork itself.
The gallery is located directly across the street from the Mill at the Vistors Center located at 175 Main Street, Pawtucket, RI.