Second Street Gallery is pleased to present Bearing Witness, a photography exhibition featuring the work of Eze Amos, Ty Hilton, Marley Nichelle, Derrick J. Waller, and Sandy Williams IV. Watch the Artist Talk online here.

In solidarity with the ongoing and urgent Black Lives Matter movement, this exhibition captures moments of collective action and mourns the excessive violence against Black people in America. The title Bearing Witness reflects on Maya Angelou’s statement that “there is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside of you.” Each photographer tells their story and the stories of those fighting for justice through a unique lens, style, and perspective. Working simultaneously as fine art and journalism, the photographs bear witness to both trauma and joy, to the fight against police brutality and systemic racism, and to the persistent struggle to remove Confederate symbols in Charlottesville and Richmond, VA.

All work on view in the exhibition will be available for purchase with proceeds benefiting the individual artists. Second Street Gallery will not be taking a commission on sales. Bearing Witness will also include an interactive element inviting the community to process their thoughts in writing, created by Destinee Wright, artist, advocate, and creator of the Solidarity Cards Project. Federico Cuatlacuatl: Papalotes en Resistencia, exploring the Latinx custom of building kites as tools of resistance, will be on view concurrently in the Dové Gallery.

Second Street Gallery stands against institutional and systemic racism, white supremacy, and the power structures that protect and support them. Second Street Gallery recognizes that the arts alone can’t solve these problems, but we also believe that art can speak truth to power and help navigate paths forward.

This exhibition is made possible in part by The FUNd at CACF.