Jan Hoffman French, University of Richmond and John D. French, Duke University
Less than a month after the 1979 strike of 150,000 local metalworkers, nine young photographers at the region’s daily newspaper—supported by its photography editor—organized a public exhibition of 93 photographs taken during this 15-day movement. Held at a theater made available by a sympathetic city government, it attracted thousands of viewers. This paper examines the impulses behind this unique exhibition about an event that challenged the Brazilian military dictatorship (1964-1985) and galvanized local and national politics. It uses original negative sequences—from which photos were chosen for newspaper publication and/or the exhibition—with a focus on the first day of the strike that was featured in the dramatic exhibition leaflet.