Toddler on man's shoulders holding sign that says My Life Matters

Photo: Christian Onouha

Capture The Movement

2020
Curation, Installation: Shawn Batey

In May 2020, citizens across the country took to the streets demanding justice, expressing loss of humanity, and inequities in society. Capture the Movement, a Black Lives Matter photo exhibit from the perspective of Black photographers, presents an array of actions, empowerment, rage, anger, & sadness displayed from the summer of 2020. Experience our photo journalism as you've never seen these movements before. Curated by Shawn Batey.

capturethemovement.org

Shawn Batey standing in front of photo exhibition

Bronx River Arts Center 2021 Photo: Anthony Artis

Woman stands in front of outdoor photo exhibition, audience looks on

Bed Stuy Restoration Plaza 2020 Photo: Ron Foster

Process

After spending months on the streets in BLM protests, I felt it was necessary to find a way to bring BLM images to the public. I decided to make an instagram post to send to "Justice for George," the highly trafficked instagram information center for BLM protests. The post requested BLM protest images from Black Photographers with the purpose to highlight the lens of Black Photographers & amplify the BLM Movement.

Using my contacts & experience in the film/tv industry, I gathered support to produce a one day outdoor BLM photo exhibit which required gathering a volunteer team for the installation, creating a "gofundme" to cover event costs, and having the images submitted printed on a styrene waterproof material.

Organized in one month, The Capture the Movement photo exhibit was born and attended by the public on October 4, 2020 at Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Plaza in Brooklyn, NY. Composed of 60 images & 60 Black Photographers varying in age and experience, the exhibit gave visibility to the Black perspective and opportunity for the community to gather in support of a movement for change.

Since that day the exhibit has been shown at Salon on Kingston in Brooklyn, The Bronx River Arts Center, Art Front Galleries in Newark, NJ, and Bowdoin College in Maine.