Bright Lights Revealed: An Exhibition and Conversation in Honor of Pableaux Johnson

In January 2025, the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities announced that Pableaux Johnson would receive its Bright Lights Documentary Photographer of the Year award. Only weeks later, he tragically passed away of heart failure while photographing a second line parade organized by the Ladies and Men of Unity. In this Bright Lights Revealed series event, the LEH and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation have partnered to display 30 prints taken from Pableaux’s archive and to host a conversation with second line dancers, Mardi Gras Indians, and fellow photographers about his deep connections with the people he photographed. Join us as we honor Pableaux’s legacy through the artistry of his work and celebrate the engaging spirit of the man behind the camera.