Philadelphia protest photographers, generations apart, star in exhibit documenting decades of activism

For more than 60 years, 92-year-old Harvey Finkle has carried a camera to protests across Philadelphia, documenting everything from anti-war demonstrations to disability rights advocacy.

"I love taking the photographs. I love the action," Finkle said.

Photography wasn't always his goal. He first became involved as a protester, joining demonstrations before eventually becoming the person behind the camera.

"I was the only one with a camera," Finkle said. "So I began to photograph some of the groups, like the Black Panthers, Young Lords, Philadelphia Welfare Rights, Women in Transition."

Today, Finkle's work is featured alongside that of a new generation of protest photographers in How We Stay Free, an exhibition at TILT Institute for the Contemporary Image.

Among them is Mike Arrison, a Philadelphia photographer who says Finkle's work helped shape his own.

"I studied Harvey's work in college," Arrison said.

Arrison said a photography class at Drexel University introduced him to Finkle's images.

Now, the two photographers share gallery walls, despite producing work decades apart.

Arrison describes himself as an "activist photographer."

"The order of those words are important," he said. "I'm an activist first, photographer second."

His photographs document recent movements including demonstrations following the police killing of George Floyd, labor actions, the closure of the University of the Arts and other moments of civic activism throughout Philadelphia.

Curator James Britt said the exhibit was intentionally presented during the nation's 250th anniversary celebration because it highlights a longstanding tradition of civic participation and dissent.

"I feel like one of the primary tenets of America is dissent," Britt said.

The exhibition also includes photographs documenting demonstrations supporting Palestinian liberation, the No Arena movement in Chinatown and other community-led causes.

For Arrison, the photographs aren't ultimately about the photographers themselves.

"I'm living in a moment of history," he said. "I want to be able to capture this for the posterity of who's coming down the line — for people to be able to look back and say, 'This is what was going on then. Has this changed? Where do we want to go from here?'"

It's a sentiment that resonates with Finkle, too.

"Without organizing and protesting," he said, "you're not going to change anything."