Women photographers bring Atlanta’s World Cup moment into focus

A new exhibition at One Contemporary Gallery in Atlanta opens June 11 and runs through July 26, pairing World Cup attention with work by four female photographers. The show aims to frame Atlanta’s culture, history and public spaces through a local lens rather than a stadium-only story.

Why it matters: - Atlanta is drawing global attention as FIFA World Cup 26 brings international visitors and media coverage to the city. - “Through Our Eyes: A Visual Photographic Journey” aims to present Atlanta’s culture, civil rights history and public spaces as part of that moment. - The show centers women photographers, pushing back on narrow or commercialized views of sports and city identity.

What happened: - One Contemporary Gallery opened “Through Our Eyes: A Visual Photographic Journey” on June 11 in Atlanta’s Sweet Auburn and Old Fourth Ward area. - The exhibition features Sheila Pree Bright, Nicole Craine, Julie Yarbrough and Ysa Lopez. - The show is on view through July 26 at 395 Edgewood Ave. SE, Suite 6, Atlanta. - Opening night runs 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, June 11. - The gallery will be open Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. or by appointment. - A featured artist talk is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Friday, June 19.

The details: - Leica Camera USA supports the exhibition. - The show is positioned as an all-female showcase of professional lens-based artists. - Bright created the exhibition to examine how community, movement and public spaces hold history. - Bright dedicated the companion zine to Pelé, linking the project to soccer’s global reach. - Bright also has a solo show, Footwork: Where We Gather, on view at Emory University’s Michael C. Carlos Museum through July 19, 2026. - The exhibition is meant to complement Bright’s new body of work, Footwork: Where We Gather, which explores sports fan culture. - Nicole Craine’s work documents the political and cultural landscape of the South with an editorial approach. - Julie Yarbrough’s images focus on community, generational heritage and everyday moments of Black life. - Ysa Lopez’s photographs examine public space, youth culture and urban identity.

Between the lines: - The exhibition uses the World Cup spotlight to redirect attention from stadium spectacle to the lived experience of Atlanta communities. - The all-female lineup also signals a curatorial choice to elevate perspectives often underrepresented in documentary and editorial photography. - Bright’s Pelé reference ties soccer history to the broader idea of photography as a record of collective memory and public culture.

What’s next: - Visitors can see the exhibition through July 26, with a June 19 artist talk offering a deeper look at the work. - The show gives locals and tourists a cultural stop between World Cup events. - Bright’s concurrent solo exhibition at Emory extends that conversation through July 19.

The bottom line: - “Through Our Eyes” uses Atlanta’s World Cup moment to tell a larger story about identity, community and who gets to define a city’s image.