Topic

Al Smith’s photography chronicled Seattle’s vibrant Central District neighborhood and the city’s African American community with great warmth and intimacy. This exhibit honored 65 years of Smith’s brilliantly expressive documentary photography and celebrated the neighborhood and people who inspired him.

About the project

For this project, I led the team of curators, writers, designers, and exhibit developers. The exhibit was developed in close collaboration with the Black Heritage Society of Washington State, the Northwest African American Museum, the Smith family, and many community partners.

This project combined an immersive historical exhibit with an art photography display. Visitors were invited into a recreation of Al Smith’s home darkroom and a scene recalling the jazz clubs of the 1940s. Smith’s beautiful photographs were accompanied by family and community stories of the scenes and people in the images. The accompanying programming celebrated the resilient communities in Seattle’s Central District and explored the significant problems posed by gentrification and systemic racism.