IMAGES OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN WORSHIP EXPERIENCE,
by Jason Miccolo Johnson
October 14 - December 27, 2008
Click here for exhibit programming.
Click here for the Sacramento Bee cover story.
Opening Reception: Saturday, October 11th, 5 - 8pm, featuring music by St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church Gospel Ensemble
Soul Sanctuary captures the essence and rhythms of the black Christian church. It is a multidenominational journey into the heart of the black worship experience. Photographer Jason Miccolo Johnson traveled across the country, visiting small rural and urban storefront churches and large inner-city and suburban megachurches, taking some 15,000 photographs, 50 which are on view in the exhibit.
Soul Sanctuary captures the spirit of the black church through arresting images of congregants' facial expressions and body language, their uniforms and dress, and the dignity of their worship. Baptisms, weddings, funerals, annual day celebrations, ecstatic soloists, choir directors, prophetic preachers, angelic liturgical dancers, and peaceful moments of prayer and praise are captured in Johnson's intimate photographs.
The exhibition was photographed exclusively in black and white using available light. It
contains images shot in 25 states and specifically inclusive of cities representing the top 20 African
American media markets in the U.S. It is multi-denominational (Baptist, Methodist, Catholic,
Pentecostal/Holiness, and non-denominational), and shows worship services taking place in all
seasons involving youth and senior citizens. The churches featured vary from small rural to urban
storefronts, from large inner city sanctuaries to suburban mega churches.
Soul Sanctuary has travelled nationally, making its first west-coast appearance at the 40 Acres Art Gallery. Accompanying the exhibition is a 160-page hard-cover book published by Bullfinch Press, including a foreword by Gordon Parks and essays by Barbara Lumpkins Walls, Rev. Charles H. Brown, Jr., and Rev. Lawrence N. Jones.
For Jason Miccolo Johnson's website, go to http://www.miccolo.com/.
On View at 40 Acres' Young @ Art Gallery and underground books:
Spirituality From My Point of View: Photography By Students Attending Sacramento High School and Christian Brothers High School
