The exhibit is six years in the making and contains over 1,000 images. Ross, a longtime photographer and professor at the University of California-Santa Barbara, will give a lecture about the exhibit, followed by a reception on Thursday night. The exhibit tackles the subject of teenage incarceration and the American prison system, which Moody Gallery Director William Dooley said is brought to the forefront through the photos on display.
“Youth incarceration is a subject most of us are aware of, but we know it from a distance,” he said. “When you stand in front of [the photos,] it’s somewhat moving to see the rawness of the conditions.”
Showcasing color photographs featuring portraits of teenagers in prison, the exhibit – which was showcased in a 2012 book of the same title – started its run Jan. 8, and will run through Feb. 8. Vicki Rial, the Gallery’s exhibition coordinator, said the exhibit was booked because it shows a subject people may not know about.
“It’s a very good start to the season,” she said. “It’ll bring more students in and get the conversation going. It’s a shocking picture into the lives of these young people.”
Dooley said the exhibit shows Ross’s talent as a photographer.
“[Ross] is an exemplary photographer,” he said. “In this exhibit he toys with the idea of beautiful photographs of a delicate subject, and the idea of those two forces colliding.”
Rial said she anticipated the lecture would entail Ross’s experience during the cross-country photo shoots, and his feelings as the shoot came together.
Dooley said that the exhibit is different from other exhibits the gallery has showcased.
“Lots of our exhibits don’t lead with a social commentary,” Dooley said. “Most of them deal with issues in contemporary art, personal expression and the inherent conditions of human beings. This piece has a social angle that sets it apart, and with the roles photos have taken now let us think about the issue differently.”
Richard Ross’s photo exhibit, “Juvenile-In Justice,” will be on exhibit at the Sarah Moody Gallery of Art at the University of Alabama through Feb 8. Ross will also come to campus for a lecture at 7 p.m. Wednesday in 205 Smith Hall, with a reception Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m. in the gallery. Admission to the exhibit – which is open during regular gallery hours, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursday evenings from 6 to 8 p.m. – is free and open to the public.
