During January through March of 2010, Panopticon Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of photographs honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Black History Month. The show "Our Lives Begin to End the Day We Become Silent About Things That Matter" (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.), includes photographs by: Ernest C. Withers, Tanya Murphy Dodd, Frank Stewart, Leroy Henderson, and Robert Sengstacke.

Ernest C. Withers' photographs portray the life of a person of color during the Civil Rights Movement. Withers photographed in the midst of chaos, putting himself at great risk in order to obtain the photographs. One of his iconic images, "I Am A Man", depicts workers during the Memphis Sanitation Workers Strike of 1968, displaying the power and strength that can result from people coming together.

Tanya Murphy Dodd's photography is based in the American South. She incorporates mixed media to express her personal feelings about the locations depicted in the photographs. Many elements and techniques including collage, digital photography, and acrylic paint are used to create her photo-based mixed media images.

Frank Stewart's work includes photographs of Jazz musicians and African Americans. Stewart began as a painter and later moved to photography. His photographs resonate with the feelings and character of his subjects.

The inspiration of a high school art teacher started Leroy Henderson on his journey into the world of art and photography. In the 1960s, Henderson began to focus his camera on social changes taking place in America. These visually arresting images tell stories about African Americans.

Robert Sengstacke documented the distress and suffering of the 1960s and 1970s with purpose and vigor. In his most recent statement about his work, Sengstacke said he knew he had to show what people were going through, "with the only weapons I (Sengstacke) had - my eyes and my camera". His photographs - like those of Ernest Withers, were widely used by the Black Press to document events in the Civil Rights Movement.

In this exhibition, through this series of chosen images, we honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and celebrate Black History Month.

Press Release (PDF format)