“Homeward to the Prairie I Come”: Gordon Parks Photographs from the Beach Museum of Art

• by Urban CNY News
• August 29, 2024

New exhibition at Syracuse University Art Museum Opening August 22, on view through December 10 Syracuse, NY…A new exhibition featuring the work of renowned photographer, writer, poet, musician, and composer Gordon Parks will open at the Syracuse University Art Museum on August 22 and be on view through December 10, 2024. “Homeward to the Prairie I Come” features more than 75 of Parks’ images, examining his wide-ranging artistic ideas. The exhibition not only includes Parks’ documentary photography such as the series Paris Fashions, Fort Scott Revisited, The Redemption of the Champion (featuring images of Muhammed Ali), but also his thoughts on photography as a fine art medium and his engagement with celebrated paintings and sculptures. Most significantly, the photographs instigate cultural change by challenging viewers to imagine a more inclusive culture than the one they know: a world where Black skin represents ideal beauty, where an African American athlete embodies the exemplary hero, and where an artist of African heritage has a place within the lineage of excellent artists in Western art history.  “This exhibition leverages the power of art to catalyze dialogue about the wide range of issues that Parks engaged with in his photography, from systemic racism to the labor and ethics of the global fashion industry to ideas of celebrity and home,” says Melissa Yuen, the museum’s interim chief curator. As interim director of the museum Emily Dittman adds, “Gordon Parks was a visionary interdisciplinary artist whose work had a lasting impact on the world.  His dedication to continually tell the stories of individuals that were—and still are—too often hidden and overlooked is clearly evident and inspiring throughout his artistic work.” In this spirit, the museum is taking steps to creating an accessible, diverse, and multilingual space for all communities and families. The interpretive text in the exhibition is bilingual, providing both English and Spanish text for visitors, large-type text will be available, and a family guide is provided to help youth and families explore the exhibition. An open-access digital exhibition catalog for the exhibition will be available for visitors in the reflection area, as well as reading materials on Gordon Parks and his multifaceted career. The exhibition will be accompanied by a dynamic slate of public programming, all free and open to the public. Co-curated by Aileen June Wang, Ph.D., Curator, and Sarah Price, Registrar, at the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art, Kansas State University, the tour is organized by Art Bridges. The exhibition and related programs have been made possible by generous support from Art Bridges, the Wege Foundation, and the Humanities Center (Syracuse Symposium). Gordon Parks, one of the greatest photographers of the twentieth century, was a humanitarian with a deep commitment to social justice. He left behind an exceptional body of work that documents American life and culture from the early 1940s into the 2000s, with a focus on race relations, poverty, civil rights, and urban life. Parks was also a distinguished composer, author, and filmmaker who interacted with many of the leading people of his era—from politicians and artists to athletes and celebrities. Born into poverty and segregation in Fort Scott, Kansas, in 1912, Parks was drawn to photography as a young man when he saw images of migrant workers taken by Farm Security Administration (FSA) photographers in a magazine. After buying a camera at a pawnshop, he taught himself how to use it. Despite his lack of professional training, he won the Julius Rosenwald Fellowship in 1942; this led to a position with the photography section of the FSA in Washington, D.C., and, later, the Office of War Information (OWI). Working for these agencies, which were then chronicling the nation’s social conditions, Parks quickly developed a personal style that would make him among the most celebrated photographers of his era. His extraordinary pictures allowed him to break the color line in professional photography while he created remarkably expressive images that consistently explored the social and economic impact of poverty, racism, and other forms of discrimination. Featured Events: Opening Reception and Keynote Gordon Parks’s Curated Photographs and His Ideas About Community Aileen June Wang, Ph.D., co-curator of the exhibition “Homeward to the Prairie I Come”: Gordon Parks Photographs from the Beach Museum of Art and Curator the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art, Kansas State University  Keynote: 4 – 5 pm Location: 160 Link Hall Reception: 5 – 6:30 pm Location: Syracuse University Art Museum The Duke Ellington Orchestra presented in partnership with the Malmgren Concert Series September 22, 4 pm Community Screening of Shaft (1971), directed by Gordon Parks October 4, 7 pm Community Day October 5, noon – 4 pm Art Break: Gordon Parks with Nancy Keefe Rhodes October 16, noon  Celebrating the Legacy of Gordon Parks November 9, noon – 4 pm  1 pm: Art Break with Contemporary photographer Jarod Lew 2:30 pm: Screening of A Choice of Weapons: Inspired by Gordon Parks (2021)  Pop-up exhibitions featuring artwork and artists from the museum collection inspired by Gordon Parks and community vendors in Shaffer Galleria! Gordon Parks Community Gathering/ Showcase December 7, timing TBD Deedee’s Community Room, Salt City Market, 484 S. Salina St., Syracuse, NY Visit the museum’s website for more public programs surrounding the exhibition. Members of the media, please contact Emily Dittman, interim director of Syracuse University Art Museum, ekdittma@syr.edu, for more information or to schedule a tour. The Syracuse University Art Museum is a teaching museum located on campus that acquires and preserves important works of art and uses its extensive collection to serve as a museum-laboratory for exploration, experimentation, and discussion. The Museum strives to foster diverse and inclusive perspectives by uniting students across campus with each other and the local and global community, engaging with artwork to bring us together and examining the forces that keep us apart. It welcomes all visitors to experience its exhibitions and public programs that promote original research, creative thinking, and increased mindfulness. The Syracuse University Art Museum is always free to all. For more information and to plan your visit, go to museum.syr.edu.