April 23, 2021
Ernest C. Withers | 'I'll Take You There' at Fahey/Klein Gallery
by Joshen Mantai
The Fahey/Klein gallery reveals Ernest Withers: I’ll Take You There, an exhibition hosted in coordination with his recently published book, The Revolution in Black and White (CityFiles Press). This exhibition and book both serve to capture African American life in the South during the mid-20th century. The photographs from Withers include the famous Beale Street, families in Memphis, the skyrocket of Rock ‘n’ Roll and R&B, and the Civil Rights movement from the late 1940’s through the 1960’s as a time of revolutionary change and upheaval. Withers documented moments from high school proms and baseball to blues and historic marches.
“Photography is a collection of memories. One who is trained in photography knows that. Instinctively, people who have an occupation know what they ought to do. You call the fireman to put out the fire; you call the police to solve a police problem; and people who are news people and journalists are collectors and recorders of present evidence, which after a given length of time—days, months, years becomes history,” remarks photographer Ernest C. Withers.
Revolution in Black and White: Photographs of the Civil Rights Era by Ernest C. Withers (CityFiles Press, 288 pages; $50) is available for purchase at the gallery. Ernest Withers: I’ll Take You There is on view from May 6th, 2021 to June 5th, 2021 by appointment only.