Ledford's photo selected for exhibition in Chicago

“Beretta, Jordan, Cassie and Gaitlynn,” a photograph from Assistant Professor of Journalism Charles “Stretch” Ledford’s project, “The Cultural Geography of Firearms,” has been selected for the “Power and Politics” exhibition at the Filter Photo Gallery in Chicago.  The image is part of Ledford’s series of portraits of families with children named after guns. 

Exhibition juror Barbara Tannenbaum, Curator of Photography at the Cleveland Museum of Art, said that the photograph is indicative of a new direction in photojournalism.  “As the number of print outlets for photojournalism has diminished over the past two decades, the line between photojournalism and fine art photography has become blurred,” Tannenbaum said.  “Many photojournalists shoot with both the page and the gallery in mind. Some ‘assign’ themselves conceptually-based, long-term personal projects that fit comfortably in either setting, such as Ledford’s ‘The Cultural Geography of Firearms.’  His series of portraits of families with children named after guns approaches one of our country’s most contentious political debates, gun control, through subtle yet potent irony.” 

The exhibition runs from September 16 – October 22.  An opening reception is scheduled for September 25.  Ledford’s project is partially funded by a grant from the University of Illinois Center for Advanced Study.