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Iconic American photography on display at Sacramento State

Some of the most widely known works of influential photojournalist Dorothea Lange will be displayed in the University Library Gallery this winter as part of the California Central Valley Museum of Working Class Art and Culture Project. 

“By most photographers she’s known as the mother of documentary photography,” says project director Joe Moore. “If you’re interested in photography you would certainly want to know more about Dorothea Lange and her role in photography, and this is a great opportunity to do that.”

The exhibition opens Dec. 5 and runs through March 7. Gallery business hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.

The exhibit also gives a better understanding of what the Great Depression was like, in addition to showing Lange’s contribution to the concept of documentary photography. Curator of the project, Dr. Linda Gordon, talks about Lange’s works in her book Impounded.

“Her best known work, photographs of migrant farm workers and sharecroppers of the Depression of the 1930’s, is so widely published that those who do not know her name almost always recognize her pictures,” says Gordon. “She has been the subject of many major museum exhibits, several dozen art books, magazines, even advertisements.”

Lange’s photography impacted the nation then, and is extremely relevant today, especially with the current economic climate, Moore says. “In her photographs there’s a great deal of hope in the future, and I think that there’s a real connection to today.”

The exhibit will travel through the Central Valley after its stay at Sacramento State.

For more information about the exhibit call 278-4189.