Loyola Marymount University’s Laband Art Gallery presents the West Coast debut of “Ghosts of Segregation: Photographs by Rich Frishman,” a nationally recognized exhibition of more than 30 engrossing color photographs that reveal the lingering presence of racism made visible in our national landscape. The show opens on Saturday, Jan. 25, and runs through Saturday, March 29, 2025.
In ‘Ghosts of Segregation,” Frishman — a photographer and photojournalist by profession — uses his camera to uncover evidence of segregation, slavery, and institutional racism hidden in everyday American architecture. From the New Orleans Slave Exchange and “colored entrances” at movie theatres, to the abandoned Negro Nursing School in Houston and Bruce’s Beach in Manhattan Beach, California, Frishman’s photographic series from 2018 to 2022 captures howour surroundingsbear witness to history, reminding us of where we have been, where we are now, and crucially asking, “where do we go from here?”
According to Frishman, “thebuilt environment is society’s autobiography writ large.” Seeking to spark an honest conversation about the legacy of racial injustice in America, “Ghosts of Segregation”explores vestiges of racism in places that have been repurposed or partially covered up: the curious extra side window at Pascagoula’s Edd’s Drive-In, the enigmatic barred door at Seattle’s Moore Theatre, or the quaint cabins dotting Idlewild, Michigan. The shock of Frishman’s pictures is how insidious evidence of segregation and historic racism can be. Jim Crow not only extended across America, it became part of everyday life in communities across the country.
Implicit in this uniquely powerful project is the belief that together we have the capacity to rise above the deep-rooted ramifications of slavery, America’s “original sin.” Frishman’s photographs speak to the complex and difficult road toward social justice and equality in the United States and cast light on generations of painful inequality and social turmoil. The project arrives at amoment when ourculture struggles to re-evaluate the dynamics of race and re-calibrate the prospects for improved race relations in America.
The “Ghosts of Segregation” traveling exhibition is organized by Curatorial Assistance Traveling Exhibitions, Pasadena, California.
Free Public Programming
Gallery Conversation: Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, from 4 to 5p.m., Laband Art Gallery.
The Laband welcomes Rich Frishman and B. Brian Foster to discuss the photographs in the exhibition “Ghosts of Segregation” and their collaboration, as photographer and essayist, respectively, on their 2024 publication “Ghosts of Segregation: American Racism Hidden in Plain Sight.”
Artist’s Reception: Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, from 5 to 7p.m., Laband Art Gallery.
Image credit: Rich Frishman, “Bruce’s Beach, Manhattan Beach, California,” 2022, Archival pigment print, 24 x 37 in. Courtesy of the artist and Laband Art Gallery, ©Rich Frishman
