UCR ARTS is pleased to present the exhibition Lift Your Head: Bruce Davidson and the Evolution of Seeing. Curated by Sarah Bay Gachot, the exhibition features works by Davidson in the permanent collection of the California Museum of Photography and explores historic context and viewer response as key factors in the evolution of meaning in photographs.

Join us for a conversation with curator Sarah Bay Gachot and UCR Arts Senior Curator Douglas McCulloh, with a special appearance by Bruce Davidson.

NEW: UCR ARTS is pleased to present the digital world premiere of a Bruce Davidson film. View Isaac Singer’s Nightmare and Mrs. Pupko’s Beard, written and directed by Davidson in 1972, directly after the talk or during select virtual screenings.

Screening Dates:

• 5pm PST November 19 through 5pm PST November 22
• 5pm PST July 15 through 5pm PST July 18

About the exhibition Lift Your Head: Bruce Davidson and the Evolution of Seeing:

Photographer Bruce Davidson (b. 1933 Oak Park, Illinois) is known for his intimate and humanist approach to documentary photography. Through remembering the historical context in which he worked and the opposing views his work provoked, this exhibition explores how understanding and “reading” documentary photography has evolved over the past half century. Davidson never claimed to be driven by ideology or agenda; his art was born from his roving curiosity, a deep desire for human connection, and the willingness to be patient. But despite the artist’s best intentions to simply immerse and observe, ideologies and agendas can manifest far beyond the frame when it comes to documenting the world, and it is within this resulting conversation that we can find meaning in images.

The exhibition features photographs from some of Davidson’s best-known projects, including Brooklyn Gang, Time of Change, East 100th Street, and Subway.

View the recording:

Third Thursday Talks are made possible with the generous support from the Marjorie and Glenn Thomas Memorial Fund.

It’s because of supporters and friends like YOU that we are able to make Third Thursday Talks and all of our virtual programs possible.

Please consider making a donation to UCR ARTS today.  And, when you do, Thank You.

Donate Today

And, when you do, thank you.

Header image: Bruce Davidson, Birmingham, Alabama, 1963. From the series Times of Change, 1961-1965. Gelatin silver print, mid-vintage, 11×14 inches. © Bruce Davidson/Magnum Photos.