The Jefferson School African American Heritage Center (JSAAHC) is proud to present a new exhibition of work by New York-based photographer, Lola Flash. SALT opened in the Heritage Center’s Contemporary Gallery on October 17 with a virtual reception at 6:30 pm, followed by a virtual conversation between Lola Flash and the writer Jessica Lynne at 7:00 pm.This program is the fifth in the Seeing Black: Disrupting the Visual Narrative speaker series.

SALT features portraits of Black women over the age of seventy who remain active in their field. Her subjects, portrayed in classical portrait-style photographs, are often unheralded women who range from artists and activists to real estate agents, singers and designers. The images counter society’s notion that vibrancy exists only in youth culture.

Contemporary Gallery hours are Tuesday – Friday 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm and Saturday 10:00 am – 12:00 pm. To view the exhibition, visitors must reserve a ticket here (free of charge).

Biographies:
Lola Flash: Working at the forefront of genderqueer visual politics for more than three decades, photographer Lola Flash’s work challenges stereotypes and gender, sexual, and racial preconceptions. Her passion for the medium of photography and its ability to visually allure while initiating change and progress has brought her this far.

An active member of ACT UP during the time of the AIDS epidemic in New York City, Flash was notably featured in the 1989 “Kissing Doesn’t Kill” poster. Her art and activism are profoundly connected, fueling a life-long commitment to visibility and preserving the legacy of LGBTQIA+ and communities of color worldwide. Flash has been working as a practicing artist and teacher in the US and UK with numerous international exhibitions and commissions over the past couple of decades. She has work in important public collections, including the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Brooklyn Museum. She is a member of the Kamoinge Collective. Flash welcomes sharing ideas with those who are willing to not only look, but also see.

Jessica Lynne:  Jessica Lynne is a writer and art critic. She is a founding editor of ARTS.BLACK, an online journal of art criticism from Black perspectives. Her writing has been featured in publications such as Art in America, The Believer, BOMB Magazine, The Nation, Frieze, and elsewhere. She is the recipient of a 2020 Graham Foundation Research and Development award and is currently at work on a collection of essays about love, faith, art, and the U.S. South. Jessica lives and works in coastal Virginia.

About the Series:

Seeing Black: Disrupting the Visual Narrative is a series of photography-centered presentations and community outreach efforts featuring renowned black photographers, writers, and local leaders. In response to the events of August 11 & 12, 2017, the programs are designed to challenge the accepted notions of what it means to be black in America, and to broaden Charlottesville’s ongoing conversation about racial identity, social justice, and systemic racism.

Seeing Black: Disrupting the Visual Narrative is generously supported by: Andy & Kelli Block; the Bama Works Fund, and the UVA Arts and the Office of the Provost & the Vice-Provost for the Arts. All events in the auditorium are supported by Ting, Inc.