Gunn Memorial Library Stairwell Gallery Exhibit

Washington Photographer Philip Dutton’s dramatic photos document The Chief Bigfoot Memorial Ride of 1990, a momentous event that helped commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Massacre at Wounded Knee Creek. His work will be on display at the Gunn Memorial Library Stairwell Gallery in Washington from August 18 through September 29.
Dutton is a commercial and documentary photographer as well as a member of the International Cinematographers Guild. He is a graduate of The Gunnery and the University of California.
“The Wounded Knee Massacre of December 29,1890 represented the last major military operation by the US Government in its long, pernicious effort to subdue the Native American People,” explains Dutton. “Approximately 150 Lakota (Sioux) men, women and children died at the hands of the 7th Cavalry that day.”
In late 1990, along with his friend Hilary Cousins, a fellow grad from the Gunnery Class of ’81, Dutton traveled to Wounded Knee Creek on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota to document events surrounding the 100th anniversary of the massacre. “This was a deeply moving experience,” says Dutton. “One of the riders who braved the minus-30 temperatures with his two daughters said ‘It’s about never forgetting what happened. And it’s also about healing. It was a terrible thing and they were hunted down. But we are still here The Lakota are still here….’”
For further information, please call (860) 868-7586 or email [email protected]. The Gunn Memorial Library is located at 5 Wykeham Road at the juncture of Route 47 opposite the Green in Washington, CT. For library hours and to learn more about Gunn’s programs and events visit gunnlibrary.org.