St. Vincent Gallery displays hate-crime photo exhibit

Pittsburgh photographer Lynn Johnson began a seven-year journey following the 1998 murder of James Byrd Jr., who was dragged behind a truck on a dirt road in Texas.

Byrd's brutal death inspired Johnson to chronicle hate crimes in America. Her photo essays are featured in the traveling exhibit, "From Intolerance to Understanding," on display starting Friday at St. Vincent College.

The exhibit has four components, three photographic essays in the gallery and a multimedia installation that may be viewed from dusk until dawn in Melvin Platz, an outdoor courtyard on the campus.

"I saw the installation at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts in June," says Brother Nathan Cochran, director of the St. Vincent Gallery. "I wasn't expecting it. It was so moving and touching. It just resonated with me."

The first part of the exhibit was borrowed from the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh. It features photographs of Fred Rogers with children who are handicapped.

"They show how he was accepting of everyone," Cochran says. "All three components relate to tolerance and understanding of people who are different from us."

The second component of the exhibit features the photos from the trial of Byrd's murderers in Jasper, Texas.

"It shows people on both sides of the issue -- family members of the perpetrators and their reactions, as well as family members of the victim," Cochran says.

The third photographic essay tells the story of a shooting at a gay bar in Roanoke, Va. The stark photos reveal the reactions of people who were there that night and examine how the shooting affected their lives.

The multimedia installation will fill Melvin Platz with white vinyl partitions, almost like small rooms. Each room will share photos and statistics on hate crimes and include quotations from famous people and those involved in the crimes.

"If you look at the installation from a bird's-eye view it's in the shape of a cross," Cochran says.

One of the deaths captured on film is that of Joseph Healy, who was shot in Wilkinsburg several years ago.

This is the first time Cochran has presented a solo photography exhibit. He believes that Johnson's work and her message were the first that deserved the full gallery.

"It didn't seem to have a political agenda, which is so rare when you get into activism," Cochran says. "The message seemed to be have you ever been discriminated against because you're different. Or whom have you discriminated against• That's a powerful message that did not use agendas."

Johnson has traveled the world to capture moments of life. She has photographed a number of celebrities, from Michael Douglas, Gloria Estefan and the entire Supreme Court. She has created photo essays about a family struggling with AIDS and a woman deciding on breast reconstructive surgery following cancer for Life magazine. She followed children as they cope with the brain death of their mother for Newsweek.

"I realized I've seen her work before," says Cochran who did not know Johnson before this exhibit. "She's done lots of photo essays for major magazines."

Choosing Johnson's photographs for a solo exhibit may be considered a bold move for Cochran. Her powerful photos often involve images that may be disturbing to some people.

"I was a little afraid of what responses will be because there are some controversial elements," says Cochran, who sought advice from others on campus and thought hard before scheduling the exhibit. "There's quite a buzz. There's a lot of positive feedback."

Cochran has expanded the exhibit space to fit approximately 60 photographs in the gallery. Usually an exhibit contains 30 to 40 paintings.

"The quality of her photography and the statements she makes with it seemed right that she would be the first photographer to have a solo show," says Cochran.

Additional Information:

'From Intolerance to Understanding'

What: Photography exhibit

When: Friday-Oct. 13

Hours: Noon-3 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays; 6:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays

Where: St. Vincent Gallery, St. Vincent College, Route 30, Latrobe

Details: 724-523-6600