I arrived at the Fitchburg Art Museum to see its current “The BIG Picture: Giant Photographs and Powerful Portfolios” exhibition expecting a show of big, large-scaled imagery destined to mesmerize my visual senses. What I found was an ever more-powerful show that, planned that way or not, through photography, serves as a loud vehicle on how the art world, as well as society, needs to truly open its eyes to all viewpoints — and the origins of them — if it wants a world of equality. The big picture is the BIG picture.

Organized by Museum Director Nick Capasso with Terrana Assistant Curator Marjorie Rawle, the exhibition is spread out over two floors; each collection, each image, holds a deeper meaning than that revealed upon a first viewing when most eyes search for what makes it worthy of their attention.