Slavery, the Prison Industrial Complex: Photographs by Keith Calhoun and Chandra McCormick

Feb 23 2018 - May 28 2018

Frist Art Museum

Nashville, TN

New Orleans natives Keith Calhoun and Chandra McCormick have been documenting African American life in Louisiana for more than 30 years. Since 1980, they have made regular visits to the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola to photograph life on the prison farm, which was founded on the consolidated land of several cotton and sugarcane plantations. Their poignant black-and-white images record the exploitation of the men incarcerated within the maximum-security prison farm while also showcasing the prisoners’ humanity and individual narratives. The husband-and-wife team’s work has been exhibited at the Venice Biennale. Calhoun and McCormick use their cameras as tools for social engagement, reminding their audiences of persistent racial inequities, especially throughout the American criminal justice system.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website 

  • Photography
  • American
  • Contemporary
  • Political / Satire / Documentary
  • Keith Calhoun
  • Chandra McCormick

Exhibition Venues & Dates