Exhibition & Artist Talk: The Photography of Lewis Watts

Please join us for this retrospective exhibition of works by internationally exhibited photographer, archivist, curator and Professor Emeritus of Art at UC Santa Cruz, Lewis Watts. With a keen interest in both historical and contemporary representations of people in the African diaspora, this exhibition includes portraits of artists, activists, authors, and musicians as well as Watts’ documentary street photography and urban landscapes.  On opening night we'll have the pleasure of hearing Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist and exhibition curator Judy Walgren in conversation Lewis Watts.  This exhibition showcases a curated selection of Watts' work spanning nearly 50 years, illuminating his exploration of identity, memory, and the complex narratives that define our shared human experience. By revealing the poetry embedded within the Black experience—whether in New Orleans, Harlem, Paris, Oakland, Cuba or beyond—Watts coaxes us to engage with his images on a deeply personal level, all the while amplifying social and cultural contexts that inform his frames.