This exhibition touches on the eerily contemporary issues Dorothea Lange photographed nearly a century ago—mass migrancy and shelterlessness, catastrophic climate change, and internment. It features two distinct experiences: an exhibition and live theater.
Coinciding with the 90th anniversary of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), Last West uplifts current movements for dignity in the lives of migrant populations upon which California’s robust economy and agriculture depends. The exhibition presents Lange’s iconic as well as rarely seen California images and puts artifacts of her documentary work in dialogue with a selection of contemporary art by living artists and poets such as: Erik Castro, Warren Chang, Iris Jamahl Dunkle, Narsiso Martinez, Quaraysh Ali Lansana+Joel Daniel Phillips, Brynn Saito, and others.
The live theater experience is based on the book Last West: Roadsongs for Dorothea Lange (2020), written by Tess Taylor, directed by Ciera Eis, with video projections by Kate Freer. Set against an immersive projection of moving, collaged Lange images, five actors tell the story of Lange’s life and journeys, helping us see how Dorothea Lange’s journeys might help us understand our own.
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Exhibition Sponsors
James & Mary Brown
Nancy Fee
Anna Francis
Sara Green
Jeanne Walker Harvey
Alan J. Pomerantz and Evie Talmus
Elaine & Graham Smith
Dana Simpson-Stokes and Ken Stokes
David L. and Claudia Chittenden Trust and Meta Strauss