“Never Forget… We are Humans” is a large photo collection, originally exhibited in 2015 following the death of Freddie gray, originally titled, “The Baltimore Civil Protest & Demonstration Photo Collection”. It’s a collection of over 800 images, printed as large sheets of 44” wide paper. We printed one or two per week for 6 weeks or more following the initial week of outrage. Dozens of photographers sent images and we simply formatted them into 5x7s and printed them in large grids.
The show was initially out of necessity. The work was / is meant to generate discussion and reflection for imagery (of real life) that was zipping by and forgotten on social media. Over 24 photographers submitted work and we had a large group discussion in June about the photographers’ experiences during the unrest – with over half of the participating image-makers joining us. The exhibit was an organic accumulation of events and the discussion took place at the request of the photographers.
In revisiting the photographs, we want to remember those moments and the conversations, the faces, the tragedy and the fragile, humanistic image of our city during those tumultuous times. We also want to consider what is different or has remained the same.
