The Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts presents Black Culture in Chicago, a photography exhibition by internationally renowned photographer Mark Joseph, created and directed by Ada Nivia López, curated by Dorian Sylvain, and informed by its community advisory committee. The exhibition will be on view in Café Logan, 915 E 60th Street, from April 17 – July 30, 2026.Purpose This work began with a question: Who gets to define how a community is seen? Chicago has been shaped by those who arrived carrying memory, culture, and hope. This collection stands in respect of the contributions of African Americans and their enduring legacy. For Ada López, that question is personal. Arriving in Chicago in the 1950s without speaking English, she learned early what it means to move between worlds – and to feel unseen. Her decades as an educator revealed extraordinary discipline, faith, creativity, and talent across the city’s Black communities—strengths too often overshadowed by limiting narratives. From that recognition came a conviction: photography could widen the frame — not merely to document, but to affirm dignity and expand the story beyond stereotype and statistic. For photographer Mark Joseph, the purpose was equally clear. After more than fifty years working across the globe — from the forests of Brazil to the deserts of Arabia, from oil fields in China to boardrooms in Europe and America — he understood the power of images to shape perception. This work would call for more than technical mastery. It required patience, precision, and an attentiveness to presence. “Together, with an advisory circle of community thought leaders, we set out to honor the fullness of African American life in Chicago.” Process This was never conceived as a photo assignment. It was built as a collaboration, with conversations preceding the camera. The individuals represented here did not stand before the lens as subjects. They stood as partners. Working with natural light, each image was formed through dialogue — guided by how individuals wished to be seen, rather than how they have often been portrayed. Listening shaped the work. Purpose guided each decision. Craft served the mission. In a time when narratives can narrow, this process insists on wholeness. What Makes This Project UniqueBlack Culture in Chicago is defined not only by what it reveals, but by how it came into being. Rooted in collaboration, this work brings together educational vision and photographic mastery — joining the community’s lived experience. Each image reflects a relationship shaped through trust and intention. These photographs widen the frame — revealing everyday excellence: faith practiced quietly, artistry carried across generations, labor undertaken with pride, joy in movement, love within family. In the lineage of photographers such as Dorothea Lange and Gordon Parks, this work affirms that dignity is already present. And when we see one another in that fullness, something within us — and within the city — begins to shift. Acknowledgements  Presenting Community Partner Boehnen Family Foundation Community Impact Sponsor Camille Yarbrough and CMS Trophies & Plaques, Inc. Community Circle Partners Mary Prendergast Friends of Black Culture in Chicago Walter and Shirley Massey Adam Murphy Matthew and Vanessa Williams Exhibit Curator Dorian Sylvian   Donors & Supporters With gratitude, we honor and acknowledge the individuals and organizations whose generosity helps widen the frame—affirming dignity, illuminating everyday excellence, and bringing fuller stories of our communities into view. Kim Akainyah Glenn Allen Arthur Anderson Derrick & Yolanda Ashford Myel Ausberry Shirley Barry Elizabeth Bilitz The Boehnen Family Foundation Rev. Sandra Brown John Ceisel Nancy Chertok CMS Trophies & Plaques, Inc. Michelle Culbert Johnny Dorsey Eugene Dillando Kathleen Dippel AJ Farmer Armond Farmer LeeAnn Ford Alan Fuhs Freedom Lifted, LLC Cornell Hall Essie Henderson Ace Hobfoll Ivonne Hobfoll Trudy Hobfoll Mahir Ingram Barbara Jackson and John Lee Kelvin and Micah Jackson Brenda Johnson Mark Joseph Ann Kalaska Karen Kimbrough K’sun Symbricke Lindsey Ada Nivia Lopez Andrew and Terri Lyke Kendall and Chris Malette Arthur Mathews Sr. Judith Mather Walter and Shirley Massey Cheri Mena Kyle Miller Greg and Kathleen Mooney Vickie Mosby Adam Murphy Bill Parke Ashley Perry Pixelography, St. Louis Marita Powell Mary Prendergast ProGearRental, Chicago Ken Rapier Alanna Redd Martin and Patricia Redd Gwendolyn Rice Herb Roman RW Productions Jin Sanford Joseph Shannon Rosa Shelton Jackie Smith Jamiere Smith James Spiegel Subira Investment Group Alysia Tate Top & Topp Financial Services Michelle Upson Adrienne Upchurch Golden Boy and Linda Vasquez Alida and Donald Wallace Robin Watson Erma and Paul Williams Matthew and Vanessa Williams Donnell Williams Elaine and Louis Woodland Golden Boy and Linda Vazquez Anonymous (6) In-Kind Support Blick Art Materials ABRA Financial LLC ArentFox Schiff LLP Pixelography, St. Louis ProGearRental, Chicago Advisory Committee Edie Armstrong Deborah Clair Richard L. Dobbins Jr. Isaiah Day James Griffith Jr. Deborah Minor Harvey Trudy Hobfoll Kelvin Jackson Mark Joseph Kendall Mallette Arthur Mathews Adam B. Murphy Ken Rapier Alanna Redd Martin W. Redd Patricia J. Redd Rosa Shelton Timuel D. Black † Robin Jones Watson Paul David Wilson Matthew Williams Meet our Committee members→   Special Recognition Ada Nivia Lopez — Co-Creator and Director Mark Joseph — Co-Creator and Photographer James Griffith Jr. — Design and Professional Support Meet our Curators→     Black Culture in Chicago is part of Who We Are National Project, a 501(c)(3) organization.