CHICAGO — The DePaul Art Museum probes complex issues of portraiture and representation across lines of race and community with “We Shall,” a new exhibition of works by Chicago photographer Paul D’Amato. The exhibition opens Sept. 12. 

The exhibition chronicles dramas large and small in the lives of ordinary people through a group of portraits and studies of the urban landscape made on the west side of Chicago.

“D’Amato is best known for his subtle and revelatory portraits, made collaboratively with his subjects,” said Gregory Harris, assistant curator at the museum on the DePaul University Lincoln Park Campus. “His photos refuse to provide all of the answers but instead embrace an aesthetic and poignant complexity that allows us to experience things we may not fully understand.”

An opening reception will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Sept. 12 at the museum, 935 W. Fullerton Ave., just east of the CTA’s Fullerton ‘L’ stop. The museum is free and open to the public every day. The exhibition runs through Nov. 24.

“D’Amato’s images reveal unanticipated layers of meaning, supported by a deep sense of place and the photographer’s empathetic eye,” said Louise Lincoln, DPAM Director, “After looking at these images, it is practically impossible not to see people and surroundings through a different lens and understand broad issues of race, class, and inequality in more embodied ways.”

”We Shall” is the first museum exhibition of D’Amato’s latest series. Accompanying programs at the museum explore some of the ideas and issues behind the photographs:

● “The Portrait: 2-Day Photography Workshop with Paul D’Amato.” Oct. 5 and Oct. 6. More information at: http://museums.depaul.edu/events/workshop.

● “Economics, Public Policy, Politics, and the City Many of Us Rarely See.” Talk with DePaul author and political scientist Larry Bennett. Oct. 9, 6 p.m.

● Gallery talk and guided tour with curator Gregory Harris and artist Paul D’Amato. Nov. 2, 1 p.m.

● “What is the Image We’re Looking For? Depictions of Race and Class in American Journalism and Photojournalism.” Talk with author and New York University professor Susie Linfield. Nov. 14, 6 p.m.

A complete list of programs and events related to the exhibition is online at http://museums.depaul.edu/news/calendar.  All programs, except workshops, are free of charge.

The DePaul Art Museum is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. For more information, call 773-325-7506 or visit www.depaul.edu/museum.