At the end of the nineteenth century, journalist Jacob Riis’s photographs taught the world to see what life in the slums was really like. Ever since, images have been formative to our understanding of housing dysfunction. But how did nineteenth-century photographic practices— particularly slum representation and imperial surveying—shape a “housing crisis canon” that continues to inform contemporary housing politics and preferences? Drawing on selected works from the CCA photography collection, Sarah Churchill examines how historic visual strategies of “othering” and “ruin lust” have been embedded in a broader canon of insecurity and environmental deprivation.

This event is free and open to the public, but space is limited, so registration is required. Admission to the museum is included with your registration.

Sarah Churchill is Assistant Professor of Art History at Eastern Connecticut State University. Her research explores how photography and fine art shape public perceptions of housing crisis and belonging. She has held fellowships with the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art and the American Conference for Irish Studies. She earned her PhD in Cultural History from Drew University.