Transforming Moments is a collection of photographs of Kay Chernush's assignments and interests that took her worldwide. She uses her camera to find the extraordinary in the ordinary and to reveal the conditions of her subjects with empathy, curiosity, and a particular frame. This exhibition brings together some of Chernush's most evocative images, taken in locations in Brazil, Ghana, Morocco, France, Italy, Spain, Egypt, India, Pakistan, Thailand, and beyond. Chernush's photographs often featured subjects that were often invisible to most people. She reveled in the camera's charged capacity for telling powerful stories, particularly to capture the emotional complexities of social issues.
Kay traveled the world working for Smithsonian Magazine and other national publications after starting as a photojournalist in public affairs for the Peace Corps in 1973. She later published her photos in Life and Time.
Kay passed away in February 2022 in Washington, DC. Kay was an integral force in DC arts, photography, and activism circles.
