Changing Views:
The Photography of
Dorothea Lange
Mar. 4 – Aug. 6, 2023
Explore a captivating and influential view of America through the lens of legendary documentary photographer, Dorothea Lange.
She documented America to awaken the nation’s conscience.
This exhibition features 30 photographs by legendary documentary photographer Dorothea Lange. Highlighting this show are prints of her iconic portraits from the Great Depression, World War II and beyond. Changing Views showcases the efforts of Lange and her fellow photographers to awaken the nation’s conscience during the 1930s.
Committed to social justice, Lange documented the harsh realities of people suffering from hunger, economic depression and migration. She had little interest in classifying her photographs as art; rather she made them to effect social change. Her work continues to resonate today.
Along with Lange’s photographs, the exhibition features other notable social documentarians of the era, including Walker Evans, Ben Shahn, Wright Morris, Mike Disfarmer and others. Interviews and photographs from four contemporary photographers also feature in the exhibition, showing how photography continues to be a tool for social justice movements today. Changing Views concludes with a digital showcase of Lange-inspired works by photography students from the Herron School of Art + Design, and a community photo slideshow – inviting everyone to pick up a camera and share images of human resilience from the world around them.
All works are from the collection of Michael Mattis and Judith Hochberg. This exhibition was organized by art2art Circulating Exhibitions.
Plan your visit to see this exhibit
Share your experience with us on social using #ChangingViews and #EiteljorgMuseum in your posts.
How to visit: See exhibit Mon-Sat 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sun 12 p.m.-5 p.m.
Admission: Exhibit is included with the cost of museum admission.
Thank you to our sponsors of this exhibit.
Learn more about Changing Views programming
Contemporary Reflections
The exhibition concludes with a segment titled “Contemporary Reflections” which examines the work of four contemporary photographers, Josué Rivas, Nīa MacKnight, Mary Inhea Kang and Wildstyle Paschall, who follow in the tradition of Dorothea Lange.
Their work represents a diverse range of changing views and perspectives in the field of photography. Their modern-day approaches to social justice and photography offer guidance and inspiration to anyone who wants to pick up a camera and make a difference.
Meet the Photographers:
Josué Rivas
(Mexica and Otomi)
About Josué
Josué Rivas (Mexica and Otomi) is an Indigenous Futurist, creative director, visual storyteller and educator working at the intersection of art, technology, journalism, and decolonization. His work aims to challenge the mainstream narrative about Indigenous peoples, co-create with the community, and serve as a vehicle for collective healing.
He is a 2020 Catchlight Leadership Fellow, Magnum Foundation Photography and Social Justice Fellow, founder of INDÍGENA, co-founder of Indigenous Photograph and Curator at Indigenous TikTok.
His work has appeared in National Geographic, The New York Times, Apple, Nike and Converse amongst others.
Josué is a guest in the traditional village sites of the Multnomah, Wasco, Cowlitz, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Bands of Chinook, Tualatin, Kalapuya, Molalla (Portland, OR.)
Website: https://www.josuerivasfoto.com/
Nīa MacKnight (Lakota/Anishinaabe/Scottish)
About Nīa
Nīa MacKnight highlights the power of the spirit within times of social unrest. Her approach to visual storytelling is informed by the raw beauty of realism, formal elements of poetry, and the rhythm of instinctual knowledge. MacKnight explores topics such as urban Indigeneity, experiences of youth, and the kinship between humans and non-human beings within the natural world. Her work has been featured in international publications such as The New York Times, and National Public Radio.
MacKnight has been an Photo-Educator for five years, and has taught youth Photography workshops across the nation. She studied Photography at San Francisco Art Institute, holds a Bachelor’s in Psychology from California State University, Dominguez Hills, and a Master’s in Social and Cultural Analysis in Education from California State University, Long Beach.
She is currently based in the greater Los Angeles area, and is available for assignment.
Website: https://niamacknight.com/
Mary Inhea Kang
About Mary
Mary Inhea Kang is a South Korean American photographer driven by a desire to understand and document the identities we construct for ourselves, which affect how we build our world. Mary was born in Icheon, South Korea and later moved to Austin, Texas. Through her work, she explores the tensions and limits between individualism and collectivism.
When approaching photos, Mary is inspired by her friend Shiyam Galyon’s quote, “I want to live in a world that feels moved by photos of non-white people at their best moments in life, rather than at their worst” while not ignoring the real issues that many marginalized communities face. She mentions this because dignity is often overlooked when it comes to the depiction of people of color in mainstream media. Appreciative of team works, Mary finds meaningfulness in collaborative efforts with the people she photographs.
Outside of work, Mary volunteers as a board member at Authority Collective, a group that seeks to empower and amplify the visual narrative works of marginalized identities, share resources, and build community.
Wildstyle Paschall
About Wildstyle
Wildstyle Paschall, born and raised in Indiana, is a lifelong musician/producer, roller skater, local historian, writer, and activist, who took up photography when he was concerned the rich creative culture of the Indianapolis hip hop scene wasn’t getting the documentation it needed.
Wildstyle’s photography initially focused solely on the hip hop scene, but soon shifted to include neighborhood events, social justice movements, and other aspects of the arts community.
His work has been featured at the Tube Factory, Athenaeum, Listen Hear, Gallery 924, Indianapolis Central Library, Indiana State Museum, and the Indianapolis International Airport. In 2022, he received an ARTI award from the Indy Arts Council for his work as an artist and activist, including his series on public housing for the nationally-recognized New America blog.
Digital Showcase – “Where do I live?”
Changing Views concludes with a digital showcase of Lange-inspired works by photography students from the Herron School of Art + Design. In fall 2022, photography students, under the guidance of professors Stefan Petranek and Asli Narin, created their own response to Lange’s question. Ranging from childhood memories to beauty standards, these works – on view via projection — offer a fresh perspective on the ways that cameras help us understand our lives.
Community Photo Submissions
Along with these profiles, we are asking you, the Indianapolis community, to share your photography with us that follows the prompts: Do you have photos of a time when you were advocating for someone’s rights or dignity? Or when your camera helped you see human resilience in difficult circumstances?
Visitors can submit their photos here and view the submissions in-person within the gallery.
Thank You to Our Sponsors
