'Portraits of Change, Inspired by the Uprising' photo exhibit examines emotions from 2020's protests
DENVER — A picture is worth a thousand words. For artists Jonathan and Letishia Kelley, the creators behind a new photography exhibition in Denver, one word stands above the rest: change.
In “Portraits of Change, Inspired by Uprising,” activists Jonathan and Letishia showcase their thought-provoking, archival photographs from the uprisings in Minneapolis after the murder of George Floyd and the protests following the Fourth of July celebration held on Indigenous land at Mount Rushmore in 2020.
Now until November 19, a combination of photographs and a short film are on view at PlatteForum, a local art and activism space in Denver.
From wall to wall, the husband and wife duo utilized film to capture the emotions—pain, frustration, anger and trauma—felt during the summer of 2020 from the perspective of people of color.
“A lot of people don't understand that Minneapolis has a very long standing history with issues of police brutality in communities of color,” Jonathan, who identifies as Afro-Indigenous, said. “The George Floyd situation...we were just able to view that on camera, but...so many other [incidents] that have taken place in Minneapolis that you don't really hear about.”
For Jonathan, activism has always been a part of who he is.
“I have a brother that was murdered by the police in Oakland when I was growing up,” the photographer and filmmaker told Rocky Mountain PBS. “So I'm very passionate about advocating for changes to the way that our law enforcement operates, particularly with people of color.”
Jonathan was only three hours away from Minneapolis when they dropped everything to go cover the protests.
“What I saw was frustration; I saw anger, I saw a lot of pain,” he explained. “I saw a lot of the youth, the younger people, leading these movements to create the changes that they wanted to see in their communities.”
In addition to documenting different emotional reactions to last summer’s protests, the exhibition aims to uplift Indigenous voices and stories. For Letishia, a filmmaker and photographer, this exhibition serves as a way to bring attention to the disrespect shown towards Native and Indigenous people.
“Let's talk about Mount Rushmore,” Letishia, who identifies as Diné, said. “The Lakota tribe looks at these mountains as their sacred homelands and when they look at their sacred homelands, that to them is their sixth grandfathers.”
Letishia told Rocky Mountain PBS that in addition to forest fires already raging in the area, to host a political rally with fireworks on sacred land without permission from the Lakota Council was disrespectful and inappropriate.
“Jonathan and Letishia captured a moment that can never be captured again,” said Michael Gadlin, the exhibition curator and the incoming executive director of PlatteForum. “This exhibition is one of the most important exhibitions I think we've had from a social and political standpoint, and it’s really what PlatteForum stands for.”
Jonathan and Letishia hope viewers walk away with wanting to create change.
"We hope that this causes people to do their own research, to get involved in their own communities and to also, you know, look within themselves," Jonathan said.
You can see "Portraits of Change, Inspired by the Uprising" Thursday through Saturday from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. through November 19 at 2700 Arapahoe Street in Denver.
Victoria Carodine is the Digital Content Producer for Rocky Mountain PBS. You can reach her at victoriacarodine@rmpbs.org.
Julio Sandoval is a multimedia journalist with Rocky Mountain PBS. You can reach him at juliosandoval@rmpbs.org.