A sweeping photography exhibition has opened in Cincinnati that uses images to interrogate the current state of American democracy, drawing inspiration from Amanda Gorman's poem "In This Place (An American Lyric)."
The inaugural show, called "Big Tent," runs through August 22, 2026, at the newly opened FotoFocus Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. Organized by the nonprofit FotoFocus and curated by Briana Ellis-Gibbs, the exhibition brings together work from more than 50 photographers spanning decades of American life.
The collection spans from historical photographs documenting the civil rights era to contemporary work examining current divisions. Pieces range from Builder Levy's 1968 photograph "I am a Man/Union Justice Now" taken in Memphis, Tennessee, to Mitch Epstein's 2017 image of the border wall in Nogales, Arizona. Other notable works include Fazal Sheikh's 2022 portrait of a Navajo spiritual adviser from the Monument Valley series and photographs exploring prison landscapes by Alyse Emdur.
The exhibition draws heavily on imagery of protest and civic engagement. Photographs document everything from union demonstrations and political rallies to gatherings associated with the Poor People's Campaign. Some images capture quieter moments of American life, while others record moments of social conflict and division.
Participating photographers include recognized figures like Dawoud Bey, Robert Frank, and John Divola, alongside contemporary practitioners working across various documentary and conceptual approaches. Their collective work demonstrates how photography can serve as a vehicle for examining national identity and democratic participation.
The exhibition's framework invites viewers to consider what these images reveal about American institutions, social movements, and the ongoing conversation around what democracy looks like in practice.
Author James Rodriguez: "A gallery full of protest photos and civil unrest feels less like art criticism and more like America looking in a mirror it's been avoiding for years."
Comments