Three of Ben's photographs from his Black Lives Matter series will be featured at the 'UP TO US' exhibition at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Curated by Wyatt Closs and his team at Big Bowl of Ideas, the exhibition is being hosted by the Wake the Vote Election Hub at the Pro Humanitate Institute. Focused on young people and civic engagement, the show is produced by media personality, Melissa Harris-Perry, who runs the Pro Humanitate Institute.
On exhibition will be three photographs selected from Ben's series entitled Black Lives Matter. One print is 32"x40" and two are 16"x20."
The show is described in this manner:
What kind of country is this? What do we want it to be? This is at the heart of the exhibit “UP TO US,” on display at the Pro Humanitate Institute during this 2016 election season. Inspired by the observations, findings and inspirations of students participating in the Wake the Vote program at Wake Forest University, the exhibit hopes to positively provoke and engage students, community members and those seeking elective office, about a number of issues confronting us today. But most importantly, it asks that regardless of your viewpoint, do something and vote.
Featuring over 35 works by 12 artists, the exhibit focuses on a number of issues common in today’s headlines and political discourse like immigration reform, violence in our communities, access to education and voting rights among others. Culled from artists across the US, it includes a giant 8 foot self-portrait of an artist over his papers going through the criminal justice system, a room of photography ‘voices’ of different political persuasions and backgrounds that encourages dialogue, and custom installations about voting rights and violence.
The hope is that these works serve as amplification for something the students want to see: more dialogue and more participation in this thing we call democracy. It’s a call out to us all not just during an election but year-round. From neighborhood blocks to foreign soil, what America is going to be about, is up to us.