August 8 - September 27, 2025 at the InLiquid Gallery
Curated by Lonnie Graham for InLiquid
Featuring work by Photographers Donald E. Camp and Clarence Williams, and Poet Ursula Rucker
Front cover (detail of):
Woman Who Cooks - Chef Leah Chase, Donald E. Camp
Twenty years ago, New Orleans underestimated the impact that Hurricane Katrina would have. Once Katrina hit land, aging infrastructure failed, and an entire city was thrown into an unimaginable hellscape of flooding waters and crumbling humanity. The United States Government proved institutional neglect and systemic inequalities were, and are still, very much a part of the American way of life – especially for people of color. Donald E. Camp and Clarence Williams, two acclaimed Black photojournalists with Philly roots, who experienced the devastation first-hand, alongside poet and spoken word artist, Ursula Rucker, reflect on that history in Revelations: An Evolution of Introspection. The exhibition curated by accomplished artist/photographer and cultural activist Lonnie Graham recounts, photographically and poetically, the experiences of those who endured Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.
Revelations: An Evolution of Introspection includes a haunting series of images captured by Clarence Williams in the days and weeks immediately following Hurricane Katrina's landfall and the subsequent failure of levees. His photos highlight the sheer chaos of the time for those seeking shelter among the bodies of the deceased who were abandoned. In a more subtle approach, Donald E. Camp uses mud washed inland from the event for his non-traditional photographic techniques, using the residue of the disaster to create his photographic portraits. Williams' and Camp's different approaches illustrate how artists understand and contextualize the world around them to communicate their ideas. Finally, Ursula Rucker lends her words in a series of poems, originally published in her and Clarence Williams’ book “Drown the Devil,” to convey the anguish of those who experienced Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.
To the right (detail of): Lil Indian, Clarence Williams
Proof of Life
Lonnie Graham
Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Pennsylvania State University
20 years ago, I waded through waters in certain quarters of New Orleans.
I had been a visitor there some time before that water, and now find myself coming to continue the conversation with residents of an unimaginable disaster.
The in-depth conversations that I held with many of the residents I encountered as I rendered their portraits, and documented lost belongings, against a surrealistic landscape strewn with trucks in trees, boats on houses, inundated with the smell of loss and carnage, was a complex survey of the human spirit. Those conversations turned into the need, to not only understand or help others understand through the course of my documentation, but to offer assistance to individuals who stayed and suffered through the loss.
I still bear the scars of that engagement.
Nothing can compare with those who have long endured the savage hell of the storm and the aftermath. My scars are internal. I suffer a breathing disorder I acquired wading through mud and water into the wreckage of homes inhaling mold and fumes of unknown origin to rescue the treasures of the occupants of upheaval.
Revisiting those events through the images presented in this exhibition has been to relive the nightmare. Although the difference is profound. Dreams dissipate and are fleeting in the morning light. Dreams don't carry away homes. Or our loved ones, or our treasures or our possessions. Nightmares end.
Revisiting those events through the course of the artists gathered for this exhibition is to acknowledge in some way what we all suffer, what we all know and understand as profound loss. Perhaps it's through this loss and longing that we can gain a deeper understanding of our common experience. Perhaps it's through the words and the song of the poet that we can hear our own spirit resonating in the words of another. Perhaps in the documentation of turmoil we can identify small pieces of loss that many of us know too well or understand what we may need to anticipate in the future. Perhaps in a glimpse of the revelers we can know and understand the resilience of the human spirit. In the rendering of the portraits, we see ourselves and how, despite all, our presence remains. We are not alone.
Camp was born in 1940 in Meadville, Pennsylvania and began his career as a photojournalist in 1972. Throughout his life, Camp has been attuned to the dissemination of negative stereotypes published in the media, particularly headshots and cartoon caricatures of Black men. Inspired to combat the divisive images and other forms of bigoted discourse, Camp left his career as a photojournalist to study at Tyler School of Art, Philadelphia, where he earned a BFA in 1987 and an MFA in 1989. Camp began his signature series, Dust Shaped Hearts, in the early 1990s. Large-scale portraits, such as Brother Who Taught Me to See – Mr. Herbert Camp and Man Who Prays – Mr. Moses Richardson, reflect his initial focus on the importance of intimate portraits of Black men. Such images honor significant figures in his life, including writers, judges, musicians, artists, and family members. In later works, such as Woman Who Sees Form and Color – Ms. Barbara Bullock and Woman Who Cooks – Chef Leah Chase, Camp portrays women who have influenced his personal and creative life. Camp developed his signature printing method by incorporating elements of an early 19th century process involving casein and earth pigments. Camp agitates, brushes, scratches, and scrubs the surfaces of his prints with these materials and builds his images through repeated light exposures. The resulting images appear both emergent and weathered, improvisational and measured. Camp intentionally creates unique images rather than photographic multiples in order to honor the distinct qualities or essence of his subjects.
Prior to pursuing his BFA and MFA at Tyler School of Art, Camp worked as a photojournalist for the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin and was a founding member of the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists (ABJ). Camp’s work has been exhibited at distinguished institutions in the Philadelphia region, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Woodmere Art Museum, the Institute of Contemporary Art, the Michener Art Museum, and the Philadelphia International Airport. His works have also been exhibited at the Delaware Contemporary in Wilmington, DE, and the University of Michigan Museum of Art in Ann Arbor, MI. He is Professor Emeritus at Ursinus College, where he was Artist-In-Residence for more than a decade. He is the recipient of numerous fellowships and awards from distinguished organizations, including the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Pew Charitable Trusts. Camp currently lives and works in Philadelphia.
Willow, 2008
Earth pigment and casein on archival paper
41 x 30"
$14,000
Uncle Louis, 2008
Earth pigment and casein on archival paper
41 x 30"
$14,000
Artist Statment: Artist Statement
"Through insightful prints uniquely created to stand the test of time, Dust Shaped Hearts against intolerance and stereotype. Melding the subject matter of the human face with body of work that investigates history, humanity, and beauty.
Dust Shaped Hearts, as a series, began in 1993 with the purpose of recording the faces intended to be a sardonic statement about news reports of the threatened "extinction of my experience as a photojournalist, I re-defined the "newspaper headshot," in order to go attention and permanence to the men I photographed.
Expanding the scope of these portraits, I photograph the human face (male and female), dramatic "photographic" face, but because of the person's character. I photograph writers, The face is shaped in the darkroom process as I expose and scrub the prints until they convey is large (22 x 30 or 29 x 41 inches) to allow the visual language of the materials to be seen. my non-reproducible printing method, only one unique print is made of each subject. Each
From left to right:
The Acrobat - Michael, 2008
Hearts addresses the universal human struggle a lyrical and organic printing process yields a faces of African American men. The project was of the African American male." Drawing upon go beyond stereotype and give thoughtful female), not because the person possesses a writers, artists, judges, musicians, and others. convey an authenticity and power. The scale seen. Due to the specificity of each person and Each face demands its own solution."
Earth pigment and casein on archival paper
41 x 30"
$14,000
The Magician - Mr. Jon Racherbaumer , 2008
Earth pigment and casein on archival paper
41 x 30" $14,000
Baloonatic, 2008
Earth pigment and casein on archival paper
41 x 30" $14,000
Photographer - Ms Jackie Brennan, 2008
Earth pigment and casein on archival paper
41 x 30"
$14,000
Woman Who Cooks - Chef Leah Chase, 2008
Earth pigment and casein on archival paper
41 x 30"
$14,000
Artist Statement Continued
"The existence of the Blues has greatly influenced my choice to create a unique photographic process. After researching light sensitive processes, I chose to modify a 19th century casein and pigment process settling on this form because it is more archival than the standard rare metal prints. Using materials as metaphor for the male and female, Dust Shaped Hearts is printed using earth (pigment) and milk (casein). Combining these organic materials to make images parallels my observation that basic photography is biological, not mechanical. In printing, I try to bring the materials together to make them one: the image, casein, and pigment become paper and the paper becomes pigment, casein, and image. Created in this manner, my work seeks to communicate the honesty and sadness of a great blues performance.
In 1989 I heard New Orleans in Israel. Sitting on a bus heading to Haifa, I heard Fats Domino playing on the bus' speaker system. It was then that I realized that New Orleans is the root of music that is America's gift to the world.
In late August, 2005 the city of less than a million people, the city that can rightfully claim to be the root of Blues and Jazz; the city that was the root of music that I tapped my foot to in my teenage years; the city that produced Fats Domino, Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, Jerry Lee Lewis, Louis Armstrong, Mahalia Jackson and many more; the city that taught the world to dance was severely damaged. Hurricane Katrina killed more than 1800 people.
In 2007 I wanted to meet the people who would carry on building NOLA's contributions to the world."
Man Who Hears Music - Mr Kermit Ruffins, 2008
Earth pigment and casein on archival paper
41 x 30"
$14,000
Front Waiter-Back Waiter- Captain - Keisha Picore, 2008
Earth pigment and casein on archival paper
41 x 30"
$14,000
Night Manager - Shaun, 2008
Earth pigment and casein on archival paper
41 x 30"
$14,000
Detail of Clarence Williams' contact sheet
Ursula Rucker
Poet, recording artist, songwriter, activist and revolutionary Ma’at Mama, Ursula Rucker is a certified veteran of the global music and poetry scene. A skilled writer and dynamic performer, Rucker’s rich and textured voice is one of the world’s great, living instruments.
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Rucker began to share her poetic gifts in her 20s, performing at open mics in the city before two standout recorded performances announced to the world that Rucker was an emerging force to be reckoned with.
In 1994, Rucker broke out performing a memorable lead vocal for “Supernatural”, the classic House tune by DJ King Britt side-project, Firefly. The song remains a dancefloor classic today. That same year, Rucker would record a jaw-dropping performance on The Roots “The Unlocking”, the closer from their ground-breaking full length Do You Want More?!!!??! Today, Rucker enjoys a standing as a respected poet, writer and vocalist.
For nearly 3 decades, Rucker has used her fiery prose and invigorating imagery to excite and inspire listeners around the world. In addition to her performance on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam, Rucker has established herself as a top-tier recording artist. Her solo albums are brimming with power and wide-ranging musical diversity, including Supa Sista (2001), Silver Or Lead (2003), Ma’at Mama (2006), Ruckus Soundsysdom (2008), She Said (2010), and No Stranger Here, her 2011 collaboration with Shubha Mudgal and Business Class Refugees. Rucker has built an equally impressive catalog as a collaborator, working with everyone from The Roots, 4Hero, Jazzanova, Louie Vega, Doodlebug of Digable Planets; and many more. A versatile artist, Rucker can be heard on dancefloors across the world, as the voice of many House and Dance music classics. Rucker currently has over 300 tracks on the Beatport charts and was selected as a Top vocalist of 2020 by the popular Dance music site Traxsource.
In 2013, Philadelphia’s Mural Arts Program commissioned the artist Jetsonorama to create You Go Girl, a massive, building-sized portrait of Rucker and in 2021, her new mural entitled “We Still Here”, also by Jetsonorama, was dedicated in her own Germantown neighborhood. She has toured with her live performance memoir, My Father’s Daughter, which she describes as “90 minutes of self-truth and discovery.” She is a recipient of the prestigious fellowship award from The Pew Center for Arts & Change. In 2020, she released big/small poems for pockets, a chapbook of haikus.
In 2021, Ursula collaborated with artist Vince Fraser on his exhibit Ase Afro Frequencies which debuted at Artechouse Miami. At the close of 2022, Ursula had the distinct honor of being selected for the Philadelphia Cultural Treasures Fellowship, recognizing her continued commitment to the advancement of art, and artist advocacy, and an endorsement from her community that her legacy is essential to the cultural fabric of Philadelphia.
I need them to come home. Come back home. They were forced in, Only to be now, later...forced out… Weeded out. What?!
I want them to come back. Come home. My daughters, My sons, My aunties & papas & mamies, All.
Sanctified or renegade Sinner or saved
Whatever their cultural or corporeal make-up… I want them back. I need them back.
I need their voices, their tears, their stories, their magic, their madness, their uniqueness, their wild hearts… their spirit, their presence...
I need them.
I long for them. I am lost without my peoples/folk/heart
My heartbeat
My heartbeat
It's too quiet.
And when there is sound… It is foreign.
And it is more like din, than music.
My music
My music
Where is my heartbeat ?
Where is my music ?
Where are my people ?
I need a homecoming...up in here.
Original New Orleans Poem
By Ursula Rucker
Ring the alarm, the poor & black dem dyin
Whoa, hey
Ring the alarm, the flood water dem risin
Whoa, hey
Ring the alarm, the government dem lyin, always lyin
Ring the alarm
Ring the alarm And
Wake up! Wake up!
Wake the fuck up!
Shake the corrupt, shake 'em
Shake the corrupt, shake 'em
Until the corrupt become the shook ones
Scared to death and scared to look, just shook
Scared to death of the repercussive wave human outrage creates
Wash 'em away Wash 'em away
But not in absolution waters
In a muddy mess of river snakes, lost dreams, sacrificial blood
Of the quadroon, octoroon, voodun
Making them scared to look into the crystal ball and see the evil their havoc has wrought
I wish dey was shook I wish dey was shook
Yeah, it's me again
Your friendly neighborhood poet
Making an artistic appeal for ya'll to
Wake up! Wake up!
Wake the fuck up!
Cause tings have run amuck ya'll
You know they have
It's every man, woman, child
For themselves
Everybody's adopted this "smash and grab" attitude
Eyes and ears glued to the fear network
Which one? Choose one
They've all got the same objective. Which is "tell 'em how to live, how to breath, what information they can receive, what evil, ineloquent, Alfred E. Neumann-looking asshole they should trust and believe."
Is anybody paying attention?
Is anybody paying attention?
Or has the government slipped everyone in this country a supersized Ambien? I mean, does every American have a copy of one of this nation's bestsellers on the bedstand? It's called "How to turn a natural disaster into profit, genocidal ethnic cleansing, the demonization of black people ,propaganda and the decimation of a major US city, in 1 easy fucking lesson"
it's a long ass title and it's a long ass way home from where we are now we at the last outpost ya'll! This is it!
Please tell me this is it!
Original New Orleans Poem (Continued)
Cause shit is hectic Shit is REAL hectic Folks is dyin on TV ya'll But don't worry, help is on the way
Day 1...help is on the way
Day 2...no really...help is on the way
Day 3...I promise...help is on the way Day 4…help is on the way...for real!
Day 5
As my homegirl say, "Stop bumpin your gums" speak up & out you better get up, get out & do sumthin' before they change your name from uzoamaka to illegal alien, from human to refugee, from taxpayer to b-yotch, from 1st world city to developing nation, from citizen...to bend-ova you know...bend-ova bend over and let me...you know, me?
G.W.,
And all my cohorts, co-conspirators & cronies…
Gang bang ya'll...texas style!
In your collective, American ass!
Yeah...it's me again
Your friendly neighborhood poet.
And I'm ashamed and brokenhearted
And I'm pissed off!
And if you don't like it you can go tell your mama cause I don't give a shit!
Wake up! Wake up!
Wake the fuck up! And
Ring the alarm… Below (detail of): Clarence Williams' contact sheet
Clarence Williams
Clarence Williams is a Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist and multidisciplinary artist whose work is rooted in social justice and community storytelling. With a career spanning over three decades, Williams has consistently used his vision and his voice to illuminate the lives of marginalized communities and advocate for systemic change.
In 2023, he completed his first public art commission for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), a permanent installation at the new subway stop at Second and Broadway in downtown Los Angeles. He also created a piece for the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture commemorating the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, now on permanent display at the department’s headquarters. Williams’ creative journey has expanded beyond photography: though unpublished, he takes great pride in completing his first novel, a personal milestone that reflects his lifelong dedication to storytelling in all forms.
His artistic practice is grounded in lived experience and a deep belief in the power of storytelling to inspire awareness and action. He was previously supported by the Open Society Institute for a long-term documentary project chronicling New Orleans' recovery after Hurricane Katrina. His past roles include Director of Communications for New Orleans City Councilman-At-Large Jason Williams and Head of Photojournalism at the University of Southern Mississippi, where he helped shape the next generation of socially conscious visual storytellers. Williams’ work has earned some of the most prestigious honors in journalism, including the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography, the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award, and NABJ’s Journalist of the Year. He earned his BA in Mass Communications from Temple University. He began his professional career as an intern with the Philadelphia Tribune and York Daily Record before being selected for the competitive METPRO program at the Los Angeles Times, where he served as a staff photographer from 1995 to 2003.
Through all his endeavors—whether in photography, writing, or public art—Clarence Williams remains committed to documenting the human condition with clarity, dignity, and purpose. His work continues to center those often pushed to the margins and seeks to foster deeper understanding and equity through the power of narrative. At the core of Clarence Williams’ practice is a deep, unwavering commitment to documenting the lives of the disenfranchised and telling stories with honesty, dignity, and compassion.
Artist Statement
"As an award-winning photojournalist, professor, artist and father, my creative journey is a testament to the transformative power of storytelling and the enduring pursuit of truth and beauty. Through my work, I seek to capture the complexities of the human experience, from moments of profound joy and resilience to the harsh realities of injustice and adversity. My work reflects a deep reverence for the diversity of the world and a commitment to amplifying marginalized voices and untold stories.
As a professor, I have dedicated myself to nurturing the next generation of visual storytellers, imparting not only technical skills but also the ethical responsibilities inherent in the documentary practice. Now, as a father, I draw inspiration from the innocence and wonder of childhood, infusing my work with a sense of hope, empathy and curiosity.
My art is a reflection of my identity as a multifaceted individual—a storyteller, educator, and parent—each role informing and enriching the others. Through my images, I invite viewers to pause, reflect, and connect with the universal truths that unite us all, transcending boundaries of culture, language and time.
My art is an expression of my unwavering commitment to equity and liberation—a call to action that transcends borders and inspires collective action. Through my images, I strive to spark empathy, provoke dialogue, and catalyze meaningful change, believing wholeheartedly in the transformative power of art to shape hearts, minds and societies."
Katrina, 2005
Black and white film photograph printed on canvas 26 x 40"
$1,000
Black and white film photograph printed on canvas
26 x 40"
$1,000
Black and white film photograph printed on canvas
26 x 40"
$1,000
Lil Indian, 2006
Ole Glory, 2005
America, 2005
Black and white film photograph printed on canvas
26 x 40"
$1,000
Flood Line, 2006
Black and white film photograph printed on canvas
26 x 40"
$1,000
Ms. New Orleans
By Ursula Rucker
Do u know what it means to Ms. New Orleans when floodwaters start to rise?
I am looking for my children…have u seen them?
Well, they might be hard to find, 'cause...they been scattered like so many dandelion wishes...and my wishes for them have been halted...my wishes for my children are lying dead in the water, my wishes for my children have been etched in black water line, my wishes for my children have been misplaced...in Texas, in Utah, in Atlanta, somewhere in between the red and white and blue.
Have u seen my children?
Can u help me resurrect my wishes? Can u help me make my wishes become reality? Perhaps I should look into the water for my answers...shall I look into the water?
Shall I look into the water?
InLiquid
InLiquid is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to creating opportunities and exposure for visual artists and works with more than 300 artists and designers. It serves as a free, online public hub for arts information in the Philadelphia area. Find out more at www.inliquid.org.
All rotational artworks are available for purchase. Inquiries for purchases can be directed to info@inliquid.org.
To the right (detail of): Ole Glory, Clarence Williams
