Italian-born photojournalist Santi Visalli has been taking photos his whole life and at 91 he can still remember the day he landed in New York.
“I arrived in New York with $60 in my pocket. I had to sell a camera to eat,” Visalli recalled.
Soon, Visalli’s talents behind the lens were undeniable and he began photographing celebrities, politicians, and historic events.
“Since the beginning, I always said, you are shooting for posterity,” Visalli said.
On April 15, 1967, Visalli knew, "I wanted to do a classic picture, a picture that has good light, good composition, and a picture that has a message… it lasts forever."
The exhibit at Community Arts Workshop in Santa Barbara encapsulates a snapshot in time that showcases not just Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. but a host of other historical events happening around him.
"He was an extraordinary man who tried to create a better society, not just for the Black people but for the world," Visalli said.
This specific collection of Vasilli’s work was lost for decades. It only recently came back into the artist's possession, which Isaac Garrett, Vice President of the MLK Committee of Santa Barbara, says feels like, “We would say they finally came home.”
Garrett says the exhibit celebrates the strides made toward racial justice but also has a lesson.
"Although we have made some progress, in the environment today, it looks like it has begun to deteriorate,” Garrett said.
The exhibit will run until February 4 at the Community Arts Workshop.
