Footwork: Where We Gather
February 26 - July 19, 2026
Footwork: Where We Gather joins traditional sports photography with contemporary works by photographer Sheila Pree Bright, whose new series celebrates Atlanta sports culture and uplifts the community that sport engenders. From United tailgates to the pitch, Falcons training camp to the stands and abroad, Pree Bright turns the camera to the fans—and through them, to the teams they love—finding togetherness and solidarity in the places where sport becomes tradition and fans become family.
This exhibition is part of a broader university-wide initiative celebrating Atlanta’s vibrant sports culture as the city prepares to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Through exhibitions, programs, and community partnerships, Emory is exploring how sport fosters identity, belonging, and connection—on campus, across the city, and around the world.
Learn more about the larger Footwork Initiative and schedule of events here.
About the Artist
“In my artistic practice, I create multiple bodies of work that intersect with contemporary American culture. My practice moves between documentary and conceptual work, from portraiture to constructed realities—always grounded in truth, history, and lived experience.”
Sheila Pree Bright is an International Lens-based artist and a Leica ambassador. She is the mind behind the celebrated book #1960Now: Photographs of Civil Rights Activists and Black Lives Matter Protests. Bright's expansive bodies of work weave deep insights into contemporary culture. Her iconic series includes Plastic Bodies, Suburbia, #1960Now, Invisible Empire, Young Americans, and an evocative portrayal of the 90s Hip Hop scene.
Her work is included in the book and exhibition Posing Beauty in African American Culture. The 2014 documentary Through the Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People and she appeared in the 2016 film Election Day: Lens Across America. Among the prestigious spaces that have exhibited her works are the Smithsonian National Museum of African American Museum in DC, High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Saatchi Gallery in London, The Art Gallery of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, MA and the International Center of Photography, New York, to mention a few.
Bright's accomplishments are recognized in major publications, such as The Washington Post and The New York Times. Additionally, she has been honored with several nominations, commissions, and awards. A notable accolade is the Picturing South commission from the High Museum of Art for her series, Invisible Empire. Her work is in esteemed collections, including the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Washington, D.C, the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C, the Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago; the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge MA, and the Do Good Fund, Columbus, GA.
Her various photographic series are housed in several prominent archival collections: The Hip Hop is part of the Woodson Research Center, Special Collections & Archives at Rice University's Fondren Library; Plastic Bodies and Suburbia are held by the Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library at Emory University; and #1960Now is archived at the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Duke University.
