ATLANTA, GA.- The Michael C. Carlos Museum of Emory University presents Footwork: Where We Gather, an exhibition that brings together new works by Atlanta lens- based artist Sheila Pree Bright into conversation with two iconic photographs by veteran sports photographer Walter Iooss. The exhibition celebrates Atlanta’s sports culture and uplifts the communities that sport engenders.

Drawing from the Museum's permanent collection, photographs by Walter Iooss serve as historical touchstones of sports photography.

Included in the exhibition is his iconic image The Catch, capturing 49ers' Dwight Clark game-winning touchdown catch from Joe Montana during the 1982 NFC Championship game. These historic works provide a backdrop for Bright’s new photographic series, Where We Gather, where she turns her lens toward the fans and the communal spaces that shape Atlanta’s sports culture.

Additionally, four large-scale photographs from the series have been installed in the Greek and Roman sculpture gallery, introducing a striking contemporary presence within the classical space.

Pree Bright’s photographs capture poignant moments such as Atlanta Falcons Walter Payton Man of the Year, A.J. Terrell Jr. signing autographs for young fans at training camp, Atlanta United Supporters fans carrying the Golden Spike in a pre-match march to the stadium, and fans gathering at the Swag Shop where barbers shape up fans hair as an Atlanta Hawks game begins. Together these images highlight how fandom transforms everyday spaces into sites of ritual, belonging and shared identity.

Sheila Pree Bright shares insight into her new photographic series, Where We Gather, stating, “I found that these gatherings reveal how deeply humans desire connection and how sports becomes a ritual in these spaces, where the roar of a crowd transcends geography, class, and culture, uniting strangers in physical spaces where collective emotion becomes its own language…Through my lens, I seek to capture fan culture beyond spectacle or entertainment to see what it reveals about us, our longing for connection, the ways we bond with others, and how we create meaning in a global world yearning for community.”

Carlos Museum Works on Paper Curator Andi McKenzie shares her excitement about working with Pree Bright as she develops this important body of work, sharing, “Sheila's images feel like a new kind of sports photography—one that finds the foundation of professional sports in fan communities. By focusing on the fans, Sheila locates the vibrant clusters who build the sound of a stadium, who gather at tailgates to share food and prognostications, and who return to each other and to a team year after year without fail. Hope thrives in these spaces.” Selected works by Pree Bright from this new series are slated for acquisition by the museum.

Sheila Pree Bright is an award-winning lens-based artist best known for her series #1960Now, Suburbia, Plastic Bodies, Young Americans, and Invisible Empire. Her work is held in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and the National Gallery of Art. She is a global Brand Ambassador for Leica Camera.

Walter Iooss Jr. received his first assignment from Sports Illustrated at age 17 and shot his first cover at 20. Over six decades and more than 300 covers later, he has become one of the most influential photographers in American sports. Former Sports Illustrated director of photography Steve Fine has called him “an artist who is quite possibly the best sports photographer ever.” From early images of Hank Aaron chasing the home run record to iconic portraits of Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Derek Jeter, and Jordan Spieth, Iooss has created some of the most enduring photographs in sports history. While his early work captured the drama of competition, his later portraiture reveals the charisma and humanity of the athletes behind the legend.