JACOB A. RIIS: REVEALING NEW YORK’S OTHER HALF

Taking its clues directly from the visceral quality of the Riis’ photographs of New York’s “other half”, the installation feels authentic, rustic and highly engaging.

The story of Jacob Riis from the time of his arrival in the United States to his increasing fame as a social reformer is one that is the embodiment of the American Dream. His restless search for the betterment of society let to his invention of journalistic photography. Coupled with lantern slide lectures that he gave at venues throughout the city his relentless quest is still heralded today. However, as a display, the very small scale of the prints lacked the boldness required to have the same impact on today’s museum audience. The design leaves his photographs unframed, presenting them not as works of art, but as documents of the human condition. Dividing the exhibition into three distinct sections creates an intuitive path from the mapping of the photography to the evidence of his impact to a simulated lantern slide theater. 

The exhibition architecture is modest in its material selection but authentic in its use of sequential “rafters.” The darkened room recedes from large casework made from stained pine (flooring). Cabinetry minimize visual clutter, juxtaposing and emboldening turn-of-the-century photography an abstract framework.