Lloyd exhibit asks us to confront prejudice of all sorts

Photographer Robert Lloyd's "Path to Tolerance: Mixing Media, Messages, and Metaphors" exhibit at Eastern Washington University's Downtown Student Gallery is all about pointing out the prejudice within us.

Even in places and over things we might not suspect ourselves of having any hidden bias toward - or against.

The former EWU professor, who taught photography for 30 years at the university along with being a founder and curator of three different photography galleries, features pictures he describes in his artist statement as presenting "one of quiet post-retirement observations." It is also a unique and insightful blending of photography, painting and audio - several of the larger portraits contain an imbedded chip that when used with the phone app CherryPix let the viewer hear testimony by the artist and the subject.

As for the messages and metaphors, it's for the viewer to discern by challenging oneself to put themselves in the subjects' place.

"All of those photographs represent points of intolerance in our community, local and national," Lloyd said in an Oct. 8 interview. "The whole idea is to stretch yourself out of your comfort zone."

Lloyd seems perfectly equipped to be behind the lens of a camera capturing images of various lives. Born and raised on Chicago's West Side and graduating from Crane Junior College, he has done everything from selling life insurance, singing with the Thompson Community Singers to working in the civil rights movement with the Congress of Racial Equality and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

Lloyd moved to California in 1967, attended the Brooks Institute of Photography and California Institute of the Arts, completing a master's of fine arts in design and photography. In 1974, he began teaching photography at Eastern, and eventually founded and directed the Lloyd Gallery at EWU and The Lloyd Gallery at 123 Arts.

Lloyd retired in 2004, and has taken his camera across the U.S. and to Mexico, Canada, Panama, France, England, South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, China and Japan. People from many of those locales are reflected in "Path to Tolerance."

In "Uncle Sam Waits for the Underground Railroad," Lloyd sees slaves striving for freedom via the Underground Railroad during the Civil War in a man dressed in an Uncle Sam suit sitting in a Philadelphia subway waiting for a ride. On a wall of five photos entitled "Spokane African Americans," Lloyd includes among portraits of four women a picture of Rachel Dolezal - the former head of the Spokane NAACP who was forced to resign after it was revealed she is white, not black.

Lloyd makes no apology for her presence.

"She's a member of my community too," he said.

But there are other examples of prejudice not so readily apparent in the exhibition, which runs through Oct. 26. The fact that some photos are enhanced with acrylic paint brings up the prejudice of some who don't see photography as art.

"When I entered photography, there was a prejudice between big cameras and smaller cameras, which were new then," Lloyd said. "Is black and white as good as color? Now, there's digital. Are these (exhibit photos) paintings or are these photography? Does it matter? Do you like the image?"

Lloyd wants viewers of his exhibition to walk away with their comfort zone stretched just a bit. Hopefully, they will ask questions about themselves, what they identify with and does what they feel bring up any flags.

"Confront the prejudices we don't see, that's what the show is about," Lloyd said.

EWU Downtown Student Gallery is located at 404 Second St., with hours Monday – Friday from 3-6 p.m. Those who go should make sure to view a short video Lloyd has prepared, and a petition with which he hopes to begin constructive conversations with people of different beliefs.

John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.