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'He MADE them dramatic'
St. Louis, Mo. -- They file through the exhibit, pointing, commenting, and pausing for long moments at many of the photographs. It's clear the viewers are engaged. Not just some of them. Nearly all of them. Even the children.
They're looking at "Bare Witness," the exhibit of 50 photographs on display at the St. Louis Art Musuem, now through Aug. 3, hand-picked for the traveling exhibit by one of Fort Scott's most famous sons, Gordon Parks himself, prior to his death in 2006.
Parks had a long career as a fashion photographer, portrait photographer and photojournalist. Interestingly -- but not surprisingly to those who have become familiar with his overall body of works -- Parks included just one fashion shot in the collection. No one really knows why, but St. Louis Art Museum curator Eric Lutz said that to him it indicates that Parks' first love, his passion, may have been the photojournalistic, documentary works.
"When you spend a lot of time with these, you realize a lot of these are inside, domestic pieces. They are just people at home, living their lives. He MADE them dramatic," Lutz said, explaining that somehow, Parks was able go create compelling, emotional images of poverty, struggle and a wide array of emotions through very ordinary scenes.
The exhibit has been extremely popular -- more so than Lutz expected.
There's a lecture series on African American photographers that's running in conjunction with the Parks exhibit that has been sold out for weeks. The museum is also planning a special screening of "Shaft," a film directed by Parks that museum staff are certain will enjoy great popularity as well.
One of the reasons the Bare Witness exhibit is so popular, Lutz said is because "People know him in so many different ways." Some are familiar with Park's book, "Choice of Weapons." Others are familiar with "The Learning Tree," a film directed by Parks and filmed in the Fort Scott area. Still others are familiar with his work for Life magazine and even have heard the name because of Fort Scott's Gordon Parks Center.
According to Legends Online, Parks once said, "Those people who want to use a camera should have something in mind, there's something they want to show, something they want to say...," Parks explains. "I picked up a camera because it was my choice of weapons against what I hated most about the universe: racism, intolerance, poverty. I could have just as easily picked up a knife or a gun, like many of my childhood friends did... most of whom were murdered or put in prison... but I chose not to go that way. I felt that I could somehow subdue these evils by doing something beautiful that people recognize me by, and thus make a whole different life for myself, which has proved to be so."
"They know his name," Lutz said "I knew we would get a strong response. I have to say I wasn't prepared for the response," Lutz said. Even within the museum's staff, there was great interest in the Parks exhibit. "All the different departments were saying 'we're glad to see you're getting this.'' Lutz said.
Jill Warford, director of the Gordon Parks Center in Fort Scott, agrees. "His legacy is so far-reaching. The fact that he excelled in so many creative areas is one reason why his legacy is rich. Another is his life story and how he overcame so many obstacles and never gave up. That is why we created the Gordon Parks Center and now, with a proper home for Gordon's works, (when the Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center is finished), we can use his life story to honor him and to teach about diversity and culture," Warford said.
As for the particular photos Parks chose for the exhibit, Lutz agrees we'll never know the reasoning behind it, since Parks died in 2006; however, Lutz noted that Parks had the advantage of having the retrospective of having had a prior show more geared toward the fashion photography at the Corcoran in the past and apparently wanted this exhibit to have a different focus.
So much so, in fact, that some of the photos were reprinted for the exhibit. Two photos, specifically, relating to racial unrest in Alabama in the 1950s, were originally printed in color, but were reprinted in black and white for this exhibit -- perhaps to make the show more cohesive since most of the other photos included were black and white, or to add to the documentary feel of the exhibit -- one can't be sure which.
What's certain, Lutz said, is that the photos seem to be works that connect with the viewer in one way or another. "They just start talking. It's really kind of interesting to see." The conversations overheard are broad. Some start talking about social issues. Others bring up a childhood memory -- some positive, some negative. Some simply comment that they wish they could create such photos themselves.
"He had such an innate talent for composition. It's something that really draws people in," Lutz said.
Parks was born in Fort Scott, Kan., in 1912, and the Bare Witness exhibit contains at least three photos created in Fort Scott. Many of the photos are slice-of-life images, but several unique, stunning portraits also are included.
His fame and talent even touched some of the most famous stars of his time. A museum representative pointed out that movie star Ingrid Bergman wanted no one but Parks to photograph her portrait. Other portraits give stunning information about the person in the photo, telling much more than just what that person looks like in a visual sort of essay. There are moving photos that give a peek at the essence of famous figures like Malcolm X. There are two portraits of Muhammad Ali.
Back in Fort Scott, reproductions of Parks' photos also are used in a plaque given to the winner of the international Gordon Parks Choice of Weapons Award, conducted by the Gordon Parks Center for Culture and Diversity at Fort Scott Community College each year. The plaque goes to the winner of a photo contest open to anyone, so long as photos are taken within the last five years and "reflect the important themes in the life and works of Gordon Parks," according to Fort Scott Community College.
The unique plaques come from the Gordon Parks Foundation in New York, said center director Jill Warford. No specific photo is used, but an effort is made to select a print the recipient will appreciate. Gordon Parks died on March 6, 2006, in New York City, and was buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Fort Scott.
"We have lost the man, but we are fortunate to have his powerful images and evocative prose." -- Maren Stange, in "Gordon Parks: A World of Possibility." The quote was included in a companion book to the "Bare Witness: Photographs by Gordon Parks," exhibit of the same name, from the Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts at Stanford University.
For more information about the St. Louis Art Museum exhibit (admission to the museum is free; so is the Parks exhibit) is available at www.slam.org.
For more information about the Parks Center and related programs, visit www.gordonparkscenter.org.