Genre
Guest Speaker
START TIME | 7pm
80 Minutes
Doors Open
1hr Before Show
When Pete Souza left the White House in 2017, he didn’t know what it meant to “throw shade”—but he started doing it almost immediately on his personal Instagram account, posting his photographs from the Obama years with captions that vividly define the contrast between the Obama White House and President Trump’s administration. Media organizations caught on and couldn’t stop talking about Souza’s posts, with New York magazine calling them “a master class in shade,” CNN describing them as “a silent, social media, shade-throwing protest told in visuals,” and Politico naming him “King of Instagram Shade.” Souza’s following on Instagram has since grown to nearly two million people. He has also become a potent force in American life, offering incisive political criticism alongside powerful reminders of the best our country has to offer.
SHADE is a portrait in contrasts, telling the tale of two presidencies through a series of powerful visual juxtapositions—with Souza’s unforgettable images of President Obama delivering new power and meaning when framed by tweets, headlines, quotes, and other material from the first 500 days of the Trump administration. The book responds to fan demand for a book that captures Souza’s voice on Instagram, and will include more than one hundred photographs that did not appear in his previous book. More than a sharp compendium of clapbacks, SHADE is a touchstone to an era of greater integrity in our politics. Souza’s work is a stirring reminder of the highest American values we share, giving us the courage to stand up and speak out for what we believe in.
Join us for a special VIP experience: cocktails and a book signing with Pete Souza before the main event, and the best seats in the house! VIP tickets are $135 and include an in-person book signing and complimentary beverages from 5:15-6:15pm.
Every ticket purchase includes a copy of the book with a signed bookplate. In-person book signing is included with VIP experience.
Pete Souza
Pete Souza was the Chief Official White House Photographer for President Obama and the Director of the White House Photo Office. Previously Souza was an Assistant Professor of Photojournalism at Ohio University, the national photographer for the Chicago Tribune, a freelancer for National Geographic, and an Official White House Photographer for President Reagan. His books include the New York Times bestseller The Rise of Barack Obama, which documents the president’s meteoric ascent from his first day in the United States Senate through the 2008 Pennsylvania presidential primary, and the #1 New York Times bestseller Obama: An Intimate Portrait. Souza is currently a freelance photographer based in Washington, DC, and is a Professor Emeritus at Ohio University’s School of Visual Communication.