PHILADELPHIA, PA — Twenty years after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and claimed more than 1,800 lives, two acclaimed photojournalists with deep Philadelphia roots are revisiting the tragedy through a new, powerful exhibition. Revelations: An Evolution of Introspection opens August 8 at InLiquid Gallery in the city’s Kensington neighborhood, offering a deeply personal and collective reflection on one of America’s most harrowing disasters.
The exhibition brings together the work of Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Clarence Williams, West Philadelphia native, and renowned photographer Donald E. Camp. Philadelphia poet and spoken word artist Ursula Rucker, a 2018 Pew Fellow, joins them to provide a moving poetic narrative.
Williams, who traveled to New Orleans to photograph a relative’s wedding, found himself stranded on a rooftop for three days as Katrina’s floodwaters rose. After surviving that ordeal, he remained in New Orleans for 13 years, documenting not only the immediate aftermath but also the long, painful recovery. His photographs capture scenes of chaos and despair — makeshift shelters and bodies left behind — while also exposing systemic failures in race, poverty, and government response.
Camp, meanwhile, approaches the tragedy through a more tactile lens. Using earth collected from New Orleans’ heavily flooded 9th Ward, he developed earth pigments for his portraits. His technique is a quiet yet profound tribute to the resilience and humanity of the storm’s survivors.
Ursula Rucker collaborated with Williams to create poetry for their book Drown the Devil, which adds another layer to the exhibition, blending stark visual documentation with evocative verse to honor those who endured unimaginable loss and hardship.
The exhibition is curated by Lonnie Graham, an accomplished artist, photographer, and cultural activist, who ties the visual and poetic elements into a cohesive narrative. The show not only revisits Katrina’s devastation but also highlights the ongoing fight for equity and dignity in Black communities, a theme that has run throughout the careers of both Camp and Williams.
Both artists started as staff photographers at local Philadelphia news outlets — Camp at The Philadelphia Evening Bulletin and Williams at The Philadelphia Tribune — working to portray Black subjects with nuance and humanity beyond the stereotypical mugshots often used in mainstream media.
Revelations: An Evolution of Introspection runs from August 8 to September 27, 2025. The gallery is open Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. A free public opening reception is scheduled for Thursday, September 11, from 6 to 9 p.m. An artist talk and panel discussion with Camp, led by Graham, will take place on September 7 at Unique Photo.
As the nation reflects on two decades since Katrina, this exhibition offers a vital space to confront, remember, and honor the stories that still resonate today.
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