Museum undergoing first phase of design

Steve Hoover of States Painting in Mound City hangs a vinyl frieze of Gordon Parks ghost images around the walls at the Gordon Parks Center for Culture and Diversity. The images, which have some of Parks' quotes printed on them, were finished in time for the Gordon Parks Celebration Oct. 7-8. Each individual piece is 52-53 inches in width and 72 inches long. (Ruth Campbell/Tribune)

The first design phase of the Gordon Parks Center for Culture and Diversity, part of a large-scale transformation, was recently completed with the installation of a number of 72-inch long friezes of the famous photographer's images around the top of the walls at the museum.

Plans for the museum design have been in the works since 2004, when work began on creating in the Danny and Willa Family Fine Arts Center, which houses the museum, on the Fort Scott Community College campus. The original design was done in 2007 by Eisterhold & Associates of Kansas City, Mo., but it proved cost prohibitive.

Jill Warford, executive director of the Gordon Parks Center, said other components will be added using in-house labor. She said they hope to use construction trades students, but it depends on whether they are taking the right class that semester.

The next component will be a timeline of Parks' life with his early years on one side and his later years on the other. The timeline wall will probably be 20 feet wide and about eight feet tall, she said.

A year-by-year look at Parks' life with an interactive computer screen will also be featured. Visitors will be able to see an interview with Parks on a touchscreen. Copies of his book covers and another interactive TV screen are also planned.

Another part of the process will be recreating Parks' New York City living room, complete with river view. "I have furniture picked out. It will be delivered a week after the celebration," Warford said.

A glassed-in display will feature some of Parks' personal items such as his film camera and clothing. "We will have photographs," showing Parks wearing that particular outfit, she said.

She hopes to get those three components done by next May.

The last part will be an exploration table with an interactive touchscreen TV where people can touch a photograph taken by Parks and have an article pop up. "That will be the last thing. That will be a big-ticket item," Warford said.

Warford said she hopes to have everything finished by Parks' 100th birthday, Nov. 30, 2012. Donations are being used to finance the project.

During the celebration, she said a printout of all the features will be available, and the museum will take input about it.

"It's going to be a really big change," Warford said.

Among the many events scheduled Friday and Saturday is the 7 p.m. Saturday "Celebration Tribute Dinner" including the presentation of the 2011 Gordon Parks Choice of Weapons Award to photographer and publisher John Shearer. Workshops for adults and children, photography panels and many other activities are also scheduled.

Warford said she is looking forward to it.

"I'm very excited about it," she said. "We've got some really good speakers coming in, and I think John Shearer is a great person to honor this year. The fact that he was mentored by Gordon and grew up with the family in the same neighborhood, that's pretty neat."

Every year the steering committee talks about different Choice of Weapons candidates. "John Shearer is someone I've been asking about for a number of years, because he fits the award so perfectly. We also talk to the family, Toni and David (Parks' daughter and son)," to see who they would prefer, Warford added.