Golden States of Grace: Prayers of the Disinherited

Golden States of Grace: Prayers of the Disinherited, a new photography exhibition, aims to give image and voice to groups of people who because of the world, society, or themselves have become marginalized. The exhibit documents alternative forms of spiritual expression in California, both within and outside of mainstream religion, including Jewish addicts in Los Angeles recovering through the merging of Torah and Twelve Steps, San Quentin Prison inmates who have converted to Zen Buddhism, and a Community of rurally isolated African American Pentecostal Christians from the Central Valley. Be they recovering addicts or the elderly, immigrants or sex workers, abused women or gang youth – each of the approximately one dozen groups represents a different denomination, geography, and socio-economic background. Photographer Rick Nahmias spent several days with each group, photographing and interviewing participants, recording personal histories with a specific focus on the individual congregants, their charismatic leaders, as well as unique rituals and ceremonies.