Photography exhibit marks the 50th anniversary of the Black Panthers
As the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Black Panther Party approaches on Oct. 15, the Steven Kasher Gallery has announced its upcoming exhibit, Power to the People: The Black Panthers in Photographs, by Stephen Shames, with graphics by Emory Douglas. From the gallery’s website:
“It is an in-depth chronicle of the controversial and revolutionary organization — presented at a time when the nation is once again engaged in struggles against racial injustice. The exhibition features over 50 black and white photographs of the Panthers by Stephen Shames, more than half of which are previously unseen. Also on view in the exhibition are 60 vintage copies of The Black Panther, the official Party newspaper with front and back cover graphics by Emory Douglas. Captions to the photographs are provided by Panther founder Bobby Seale and other Panther leaders including Kathleen Cleaver, Ericka Huggins, Emory Douglas, and Jamal Joseph, culled from interviews conducted by Shames and Seale. The exhibition launches the publication of Power to the People: The World of the Black Panthers by Stephen Shames and Bobby Seale, published by Abrams, 256 pages, with over 200 photographs by Stephen Shames. A testament to the enduring legacy of the Black Panther Party, this exhibition offers a window into the radical political party that stood above others in the struggle for civil rights.
“Stephen Shames (b. 1947) was a student at the University of California, Berkeley when he first photographed Panther Chairman and co-founder Bobby Seale, at an anti-Vietnam War rally in April 1967. Seale became a mentor to Shames, and Shames became the most trusted photographer to the Party. As the unofficial "official" photographer for the Panthers, Shames documented this dynamic organization from 1967 to 1973. He photographed the Party's major activities: protests, community survival programs, the Panther's free school and Bobby Seale's mayoral campaign in Oakland in 1973. His close friendship with Bobby Seale gave Shames unprecedented access to the unscripted behind-the-scenes moments that provide a unique view of the Panthers. Shames has authored seven monographs including Outside the Dream, Pursuing the Dream (Aperture), The Black Panthers (Aperture) and Bronx Boys (U. of Texas Press.) Shames' work is in the permanent collections of the National Portrait Gallery; International Center of Photography; the Corcoran Gallery of Art; Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; San Jose Art Museum; Philadelphia Museum of Art; The Ford Foundation; Smithsonian National Museum of American History; Oakland Museum; University Art Museum, Berkeley and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
“Emory Douglas (b. 1943) was the Minister of Culture for the Black Panther Party from 1967 until the Party disbanded in the 1980s. Douglas was the art director, designer, and main illustrator for The Black Panther newspaper, which had a peak circulation of 139,000 per week in 1970. Douglas created images that became icons representing the Black Power struggles of the 1960s and 1970s. He is widely recognized as one of the great graphic innovators of the 1960s.” (StevenKasher.com)
The exhibit will run Sept. 16-Oct. 29 at the Steven Kasher Gallery in New York City.
Here's a sneak peek of a few of Shames' photographs from the exhibit.
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