Opening Reception for Both Sides of the Lens Exhibition, July 24

Birmingham Public Library (BPL) will present Both Sides of the Lens: Photographs by the Shackelford Family, Fayette County, Alabama (1900-1935) featuring 40 photographs from this collection of early 20th century glass plate negatives. The exhibition opens in the Fourth Floor Exhibition Gallery of the Central Library on Monday, July 23 and runs through Friday, September 14.

An opening reception will be held in the Arrington Auditorium followed by a tour of the exhibition on Tuesday, July 24 at 6:30 p.m. The reception will feature a lecture by Dr. Psyche Williams-Forson, Associate Professor of American Studies at the University of Maryland, College Park and will be followed by a heritage food tasting. .

The photographs—rich for their visual record of everyday life in rural Alabama—are also remarkable because of the story behind them. Taken by a family of African-American photographers who lived in Covin, Alabama, the images reveal the lives of the photographers as well as those being photographed. Read more about the exhibition.

Event: Opening Reception and Heritage Food Tasting
Speaker: Dr. Psyche Williams-Forson
Place: Central Library, Arrington Auditorium
Date: Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Time: 6:30 p.m.

Event: Both Sides of the Lens: Photographs by the Shackelford Family, Fayette County, Alabama (1900-1935) Exhibition
Place: Central Library, Fourth Floor Gallery
Date: July 23-September 14, 2012
Time: During Central Library's scheduled hours
Cost: Free