Press

A new exhibition celebrating the 100th birthday of world-renowned photographer Gordon Parks opens on January 26, 2013 at the New York State Museum. Gordon Parks: 100 Moments showcases six decades of Parks’ photographs, including numerous never-before-seen images and Parks’ most famous photo, “American Gothic, Washington, D.C”.

On display at the State Museum through May 19, 2013, the stunning visual collection is organized by the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. The exhibit also includes images from the Farm Security Administration and Office of War Information (OWI) collections at the Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.

“Gordon Parks was a true Renaissance man – musician, writer, film director and, most notably, world-class photographer,” said State Education Commissioner John B. King, Jr. “His work helped drive the Civil Rights movement by exposing the stark realities of life faced by so many African Americans. We are honored to exhibit some of his most important images at the New York State Museum.”

“Gordon Parks is a towering figure in American photography,” said Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad, Director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. “The Schomburg is proud to have this amazing collection of his work and proud to share it with all of New York.”

“The State Museum is honored to present this landmark exhibition by Gordon Parks, one of New York’s greatest photographers,” said State Museum Director Mark Schaming. “This is truly a unique opportunity to see these powerful images from the Schomburg’s vast collections together in a beautifully curated exhibition.”

Known for documenting the ordinary yet compelling lives of African Americans in cities like Harlem and Washington, D.C., Parks began his career in 1948 as a professional photographer for Life magazine, where he was the publication’s first African American employee. Tackling issues in black communities like post-World War II urban migration, the expansion of black newspapers and radio, entrenched segregation and economic discrimination, Parks was a consummate storyteller of urban life through his ever-questioning lens. Parks died in 2006.

The exhibition is curated by Professor Deborah Willis of New York University and was most recently on exhibition at the Schomburg Center through December 2012. The Schomburg Center is a research branch of the New York Public Library and is located in Harlem, New York.

Photos from the exhibit are available at: http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/PRkit/2013/gordonparks/index.html

The New York State Museum is a program of the State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.