BHUSD Trustee Russell Stuart Attends Borrowed Spotlight Holocaust Portrait Exhibit

The Los Angeles exhibition of Borrowed Spotlight opened at LAUNCH LA, bringing the internationally recognized portrait project to the city. The exhibit centers on Holocaust survivors, pairing them with well-known public figures to draw attention to survivor testimony at a time when living memory is rapidly disappearing.

Stuart’s attendance aligned with the district’s recent actions addressing Holocaust education and antisemitism. In 2025, the BHUSD Governing Board adopted a resolution committing the district to confronting antisemitism through education, awareness, remembrance, and support, including ongoing Holocaust instruction and age-appropriate programming across all campuses.

Created by photographer Bryce Thompson, Borrowed Spotlight is structured around intimate portrait sessions and recorded conversations between Holocaust survivors and public figures. The portraits are designed to emphasize listening and presence rather than performance or promotion.

The Los Angeles showing features images of public figures including Cindy Crawford, Jennifer Garner, and Scooter Braun, each photographed alongside Holocaust survivors. The portraits present quiet, direct moments that place survivor stories at the center, with public recognition serving only as a point of entry for viewers.

Each image is accompanied by survivor testimony, ensuring the exhibition functions as an educational experience rather than a celebrity display. Visitors are guided toward firsthand accounts of persecution, survival, and resilience.

Borrowed Spotlight has previously appeared in New York and other cities, earning attention for its restrained approach and focus on lived history. The Los Angeles exhibition continues that format, offering local audiences an opportunity to engage directly with survivor voices in a shared space.

For attendees, including community leaders and educators, the exhibition underscored the importance of preserving testimony while survivors are still here to share it. Borrowed Spotlight is built on that urgency, asking viewers not just to look, but to listen.