[Posted Jan. 30, 2008]

Chrysler Art Exhibit Showcases Gordon Parks

By Tanya Christian
Associate Reporter
New Journal and Guide

     Gordon Parks—the man responsible for bringing us Shaft, and sharing with the world his remarkable talent as a photographer and photo essayist, now has his works on exhibit at The Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Va.
The exhibition entitled Bare Witness: Photographs by Gordon Parks, opened to the public on Friday, January 25, and includes some of Parks' most acclaimed works. Muhammad Ali, American Gothic, and Ingrid Bergman at Stromboli are amongst a host of other favorites on display.
      In celebration of the photographic genius, the museum will host a compilation of events that pay tribute to his contributions as an artist, and iconic symbol in African American History. Events include a senior art forum, a showing of his 1971 film, Shaft, and a night of art, music, and poetry with the members of the Hampton University Jazz Ensemble along with other special guests on February 20, 2008.
      Because of his dedication to portraying various subjects such as celebrities, crime, fashion, and poverty, Parks stands out amongst the sea of 20th-century photographers, and is considered one of America's first true African-American Renaissance men.
      Gordon Parks once said “I chose my camera as a weapon against all the things I dislike about America—poverty, racism, discrimination.” Truly, these sentiments are present in his work. With an eye for injustice, Parks dedicated himself to telling the story of the oppressed through the telephoto lens of his camera. Many of his photos are a reflection of his own upbringing in Fort Scott, Kan., as the son of a poor farmer.

  In 1942, Parks left for Washington, D.C. to work for Roy Stryker and the photography project of the Farm Security Administration. Their goal was to portray the American struggle and the effects of the New Deal.

One of Parks' pictures of boxer, Muhammed Ali.

    
      Although Parks made significant contributions to the world of photography working as a freelancer, he is most acclaimed for his work as a photojournalist for Life magazine. This position took him all around the country and the world capturing the less than perfect life that so many were forced to live. Parks' believed, “The photographers moral obligation is to report accurately the truth as he sees it.”
In addition to Parks' work as a photographer, he also made his mark as an editor, musician, film-maker, semi-pro athlete, and civil rights activist.
      Before dying in 2006 at the age of 93, Parks' proved that art has the power to inspire empathy and change.
      Gordon Parks will forever be remembered for his lifelong dedication to the arts.
For more information on his exhibit or a complete list of events at the Chrysler Museum of Arts, please visit www.chrysler.org or call 757-664-6200.

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