October 25–December 3, 2024
The Penn State Wilkes-Barre Friedman Art Gallery is hosting a new solo exhibition by photographer Michael Mirabito entitled “Photography of Protest.”
Mirabito is a professor emeritus of the Communication Arts Department at Marywood University. His works include communication technology and space exploration books, articles and grants. For more than 15 years, he has focused on photography, primarily documenting Holocaust and genocide sites, protest marches, and related memorial gatherings. It is his goal to help ensure the lessons of the past, both distant and more recent, are not forgotten.
Protests have been an American tradition since the country’s founding. They have continued unabated through the years, including during the 1960s and 1970s Civil Rights and anti-Vietnam War marches. Hundreds of thousands of individuals were engaged across the country.
From 2016 through 2020, Mirabito had opportunities to photograph many protests, marches and other events. These are the main focal points of this exhibit. This project’s goal is not to make a political statement but rather to provide a visual essay of the events and people. The marchers were diverse, representing all age and social groups, and included families. The photographs in the exhibit at Penn State Wilkes-Barre are focused mostly on marches in Pennsylvania.
Mirabito will discuss the photographs in his exhibit on November 12 from 12:15-1:00 p.m. in the Barry Auditorium of the Nesbitt Academic Commons on the Penn State Wilkes-Barre campus. This event is open to the public at no charge.