Galilee Baptist Church (Storefront Churches series) 1958 - 1960

This photograph, Galilee Baptist Church, by Milton Rogovin, is made of light, and time, and feeling. Rogovin captured the doorway to the church, finding the spiritual in the everyday. I imagine Rogovin, out on the streets, looking for these moments. He's probably thinking about how to frame this, how to capture the essence of this place. Look at that door, slightly ajar, as if inviting you in. The sign with the service times looks hand-made; it suggests the care and attention to detail that must have gone into creating a spiritual home. The light is beautiful here, hitting the steps just so. It reminds me of other photographers like Walker Evans, who found beauty in the mundane. Artists are always talking to each other, across time and space. Rogovin’s image is about finding the extraordinary in ordinary lives, asking us to see the world with fresh eyes. It’s an open-ended conversation, a question posed rather than an answer given.