Activists and Icons documentary photography exhibit to close Oct. 27

Activists and Icons: The Photographs of Steve Schapiro shows, through powerful documentary photography, that the issues of the civil rights movement are still deeply relevant today. Forty-six large-format photographs tell the stories of seminal moments in history from the March on Washington (1963) to Robert Kennedy’s presidential campaign (1968). Among the images are emotional portraits of heroes both known and unknown, ranging from Rosa Parks and James Baldwin to an unnamed sanitation striker.

Renowned Chicago-based photographer Steve Schapiro has given history a human face throughout his career as a widely published photographer for Life, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, and numerous other publications. Visitors to this exhibit will experience Schapiro’s intimate perspective on the civil rights movement, as well as vivid portraits of celebrities including David Bowie and Jackie Kennedy, who used their influence to challenge—and change—our cultural norms.

More photojournalism at Illinois Holocaust Museum

Join us for our newest exhibit, Memory Unearthed: The Lodz Ghetto Photographs of Henryk Ross. Be among the first to see Polish Jewish photojournalist Henryk Ross’ clandestine photographs on September 22.

You can also reserve tickets for our first Memory Unearthed exhibit program, “The Perils and Purpose of Photojournalism: An Evening with Greg Constantine”. On October 15, Greg will discuss his world-wide experiences as a photojournalist, and examine how photojournalism serves as a call to action.

Another photojournalism exhibit at the Museum, What We Carried: Stories By Iraqui Refugees, used photography as a vehicle to share stories about “a common humanity”.