The Annenberg Space for Photography, a cultural destination dedicated to exhibiting both digital and print photography, announced its next exhibition – Not an Ostrich: And Other Images from America’s Library.
The exhibition, running from April 21 through September 9, 2018, is a collection of nearly 500 images – discovered within a collection of more than 14 million pictures – permanently housed in the world’s largest library at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Put together by the distinguished photography curator Anne Wilkes Tucker, the exhibition features the image entitled “Not an Ostrich” and a large selection of rare and handpicked works from the vaults of the library, many never widely available to the public. Each picture documents a special moment in America’s culture and history. Tucker, named “America’s Best Curator” by TIME, was granted special access to the photographic archives at the Library of Congress.
The images selected for Not an Ostrich: And Other Images from America‘s Library span
three centuries of photography (1800s, 1900s, 2000s), simultaneously
telling America’s story through evocative imagery, while revealing the
evolution of photography itself – from daguerreotypes, the first
publicly available photographic process, to contemporary digital images.
The exhibition’s name, Not an Ostrich, refers to an actual
image included in the collection – a photo of actress Isla Bevan holding
a “Floradora Goose” at the 41st Annual Poultry Show at Madison Square
Garden – and hints at the unexpected and unusual artifacts collected at
the Library of Congress over its 218-year history, some of which will be
on display inside the Annenberg Space for Photography.
Other pictures among the hundreds on
display: The Wright brothers’ first flight, the earliest known portrait
of Harriet Tubman, Harry Houdini bound in chains for a magic trick,
action scenes from Vietnam war protests, Ku Klux Klan demonstrations,
and an image of John Lennon and Yoko Ono.
Not an Ostrich marks the first
time an exhibition of this scale, featuring a selection of photographs
from the Library of Congress, has been displayed on the West Coast, and
represents a fraction of the Library’s full collection as a way for
visitors to rediscover one of America’s most important cultural
institutions. The full exhibition will include over 440 photographs from
1839 to the present, by 148 photographers – displayed both physically
and digitally – including the works of Sharon Farmer, Donna
Ferrato, Carol M. Highsmith, Danny Lyon, Camilo José Vergara, and Will
Wilson, who will also be featured in the exhibit’s original documentary
produced by the Annenberg Foundation in partnership with Arclight
Productions.
“The exhibit Anne Tucker has put together
is one that truly reflects America in images. Each photograph exposes
us to just a fraction of the millions of American stories held in the
Library of Congress, from the iconic to the absurd,” said Annenberg
Foundation Chairman of the Board, President and CEO Wallis Annenberg.
“Though cameras and technology have changed over the years, this
exhibition shows us that nothing captures a moment, a time, or a story
like a photograph.”
“What a pleasure and an honor it was to
work with the Library of Congress selecting these photographs. Glamour,
worship, invention, bravery, humor, cruelty and love – this collection
of photographs preserves all examples of our humanity as well as
chronicling America’s history in extraordinary photographs. The Library
is an inexhaustible trove available for anyone to explore,” said Anne
Wilkes Tucker, Curator Emerita of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
“The Library of Congress not only
collects and preserves America’s cultural heritage but also works to
make those comprehensive collections accessible to as many people as
possible. I am so thrilled about this opportunity to present the
Library’s rich photography collection at the Annenberg Space for
Photography,” said Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. “I hope
photography and history enthusiasts around Los Angeles and beyond who
visit this unprecedented exhibition will have their curiosity piqued
about all that is available to them at their national library.”
Not an Ostrich will remain on
display from April 21 through September 9, 2018. Visitors can access the
exhibition with free admission Wednesdays through Sundays from 11 AM to
6 PM, at the Annenberg Space for Photography (2000 Avenue of the
Stars Los Angeles, CA 90067). For more information about Not an Ostrich: And Other Images from America‘s Library, visit: https://www.annenbergphotospace.org/exhibits/not-an-ostrich
