Wounded Knee photo exhibit scheduled to open mid-August

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 Aug. 18 through Sept. 29.

Dutton is a commercial and documentary photographer, and a member of the International Cinematographers Guild. He is a graduate of The Gunnery and the University of California.

“The Wounded Knee Massacre of Dec. 29,1890, represented the last major military operation by the U.S. government in its long, pernicious effort to subdue the Native American People,” Dutton said. “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 1981, Dutton travelled 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,” Dutton said. “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 information, call 860- 868-7586 or email gunndevelopment@biblio.org. The Gunn Memorial Library is at 5 Wykeham Road at the juncture of Route 47 opposite the Green in Washington. For library hours and to learn more about Gunn’s programs and events, visit gunnlibrary.org.

Gunn Memorial Library / Contributed photo One of photographer Philip Dutton’s dramatic photos documenting The Chief Bigfoot Memorial Ride of 1990.