"Manifest"

In “Manifest,” photographer Wendel White gathers nearly 100 remnants from the past documenting the African-American experience in the U.S. Delving as far back as the transatlantic slave trade, the portfolio includes photographic representations of items gathered from private and public collections including slave collars, a drum, a slave bill of sale and, perhaps most strikingly, a preserved lock of Frederick Douglass’ hair. In an artist statement, White explains, “‘Manifest’ is an effort to seek out the artifacts and material evidence of the American construct and representation of race.” Shot against stark, black backgrounds, the images bring to life the ghosts of America’s dark past. A Distinguished Professor of Art at Stockton University, White first exhibited “Manifest” at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco and has since taken the work throughout the country.