Lacy's poignant images were a topic for discussion at journalism conferences in the United States and Mexico, where they were exhibited from Washington, D.C. to Monterrey. He developed an interest in producing conceptual images with no pretence of being unbiased and in delivering stronger messages than the journalistic approach. Using graphic design techniques, he produced a controversial image of a hazy cross captioned with the words "Propensity for Violence" appropriated from a Houston Chronicle report used to describe the John Brown Anti-Klan Committee. Lacy explained, "The converse message was that the Klan itself, however Christian and cross-bearing, was a terroristic organization with a true propensity for violence."
Lacy entered the fine arts program at University of Houston in 1986 where he became immersed in study of modern issues in media and society. He created images with strong symbolic meaning, including his most exhibited photograph, "Window to the World", from a series criticizing media and religion for failing to effectively address issues such as violence toward women.
Lacy successfully exhibited many singular images, essays and videos in art spaces like the UH Blaffer Gallery and the Houston Center for Photography, including "Lighthouse Children", a series of photographs of blind children with text information printed exclusively in Braille. Lacy said, "The objective was to make the viewer acutely aware that information common to one group was not available to another."
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CONTRASTING VIEWS LIFE DURING WARTIME PROPENSITY FOR VIOLENCE RIOTERS AND THRILL-SEEKERS THE VAPOR JETS RETHINKING ADAMS TRAVELS WITH SHIVAS AND ANGELS SEEING THE LIGHT A 9-1-1 WAKE-UP CALL |
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IN THE PHOTO ABOVE As a photographer, Lacy was drawn to the energy and excitement of the independent music scene in Houston, but he also explored the common experiences of its participants. Many of the people he met and photographed are the subject of his spoken-word "chronicles". From the unique events he has experienced and the unusual characters that are often present in his life, Lacy is producing a book that is rooted in Houston's independent culture of music and art.
