Sightlines: Photographs from the Collection

This dynamic installation of the photography collection unearths new narratives of influence, innovation, and belonging from the medium’s invention to the present day.

Rather than following a linear chronology, Sightlines explores a series of stories and perspectives, spotlighting recent additions to the collection throughout. Some galleries focus on an individual artist or series, like Louis Carlos Bernal’s vibrant color photographs of Chicanx families in the Southwest, or Dorothea Lange and Pirkle Jones’ poignant documentation of the demise of a small town in Napa County. Others consider the evolution of a single theme across the history of the medium, such as studio portraiture or the relationship between the body and landscape. The exhibition culminates with a generous selection of works made without a camera, probing the question of what constitutes a photograph.