Shan Wallace captures the heart of Baltimore’s Black communities in her intimate photographs

Shan Wallace first picked up a camera when she was eight years old. It was her grandfather’s, and although she didn’t know how to use it, she would play with it around the house. Little did she know that this would be the start of a career in the discipline. “Now,” she tells It’s Nice That, “much of my work is focused on the lack of Black representation in historical archives. As a photographer and archivist, I’m dedicated to documenting a spectrum of Black life, from the simplest gestures of love between us, to the ways in which we congregate in familiar spaces like our neighbourhood corners or bus stops.”

Her striking body of work was on show at the Baltimore Museum of Art until it closed indefinitely due to government guidelines. Luckily for us viewers, however, the institution has expanded its digital resources, offering a unique virtual experience allowing us to digitally stroll through the exhibition space, and get up close and personal to Shan’s beautiful work. A love letter to the strong, complex and resilient communities of her birth city Baltimore, the exhibition showcases work from the past five years, immersing us into an impregnable feeling of community spirit.

Honouring the rich cultural history of the city which birthed legends from Thurgood Marshall to Valerie Maynard, Shan’s work pays tribute to the place they called home in velvety photographic glory. “Baltimore is full of people who make this city great,” says Shan. “From marching bands strutting through the city, to the devout patrons of Lexington Market,” above all, the photographer aims to “honour, celebrate and salute Black life.” Her work shifted to a more societal stance in 2012 when she attended a rally in response to the unlawful killing of Trayvon Martin. It spurred a powerful intent to capture not only the essence of her city, but also the hardy resistance of Black communities.

Turning her camera to everyday moments, Shan draws out the allure of a moment amongst Black people, adding significance to seemingly trivial moments that “have not been recorded historically.” She cites a quote from American author, professor, feminist and social activist Bell Hooks in light of this: “Our survivals are not separate, even though the terms under which we struggle differ.” And with this in mind, she captures the ins and outs of the community – from the triumphs to the tragedies – in turn, conveying the global cohesion and connectivity of Black people from Baltimore, across to Johannesburg, Greensboro, Detroit, Havana and Flint.

Brimming with the expressiveness of life, Shan’s evocative photographs stir with musicality and rhythm. It’s a feeling particularly present in one of her favourite images titled Step Sisters. On this image, Shan tells us how it reminds her of her childhood: “Hearing the marching bands hitting those loud drums and strutting in the streets was always a big deal to me,” she says. As a youngster, some of her closest friends were in marching bands, and she vividly remembers going to watch said bands performing in the street. It’s an appreciation she’s carried through the years and, for Shan, it remains a great pleasure to see the tradition live on in Baltimore.

Elsewhere, she documented the rapidly changing public bus service in the city. In a “very special and personal image,” While Waiting, Shan speaks volumes on the transformation of the updated routes, new benches and increased prices. A significant project in Shan’s activistic body of work due to its hard-hitting impact, the changes to the bus system “drastically affected” both Shan and the surrounding community.

Touching on the intimate and collaborative nature of the city simultaneously, her body of work is observational yet personal. “I hope viewers understand the complexity of this true American city,” she finally goes on to say. “I hope they can extend their gaze beyond a couple of seconds and get to know this very Black American city through my eyes. It’s very important to me, being from Baltimore, to show up for my city and be of service to it in any way I know I can.”