As We Rise Exhibition at GRAM – Reading List for AdultsLike this list

27 items

• As We Rise: Photography from the Black Atlantic

  View on artmuseumgr.org

  Click through to learn more about the GRAM's As We Rise Exhibit!

• Posing Beauty

  African American Images From the 1890s to the Present

  Willis, Deborah, 1948-

  Add Posing Beauty to your for later shelf

  The anthologies of photographic historian and curator Deborah Willis feature heavily on this list. A student and later professor who dedicated her career to unearthing forgotten archival images of Black Americans, "Posing Beauty" represents the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• American Protest

  Photographs 2020-2021

  Cole, Mel D.,

  Add American Protest to your for later shelf

  A collection of photography documenting the first days of the COVID-19 lockdown in New York City and Black Lives Matter protests across the country throughout 2020. Evocative of the black-and-white photojournalism of the civil rights era, this…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Music + Life

  Morris, Dennis, 1953-

  Add Music + Life to your for later shelf

  British-born Dennis Morris is primarily known as a music photographer, who captured some of the most iconic music legends over his six-decade career. This anthology features his work in the industry as well as his documentary and street photography,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Black Archives

  a Photographic Celebration of Black Life

  Cherlise, Renata,

  Add Black Archives to your for later shelf

  Designed to feel like flipping through a family photo album, "Black Archives" is a collection of photos that portrays the Black identity and experience through the 20th century. Joyful, intimate, and expansive, these 300+ images are a testament to…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Black Hollywood

  Reimagining Iconic Movie Moments

  Augustus, Carell,

  Add Black Hollywood to your for later shelf

  A big, bold collection of photography from Carell Augustus, who enlisted Black artists from throughout the entertainment industry to recreate iconic images from the so-called golden age of Hollywood. A re-imagining of the past that uplifts the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Prose to the People

  a Celebration of Black Bookstores

  Mitchell, Katie (Katherine Anne),

  Add Prose to the People to your for later shelf

  A visual homage to Black-owned bookstores from around the country, featuring the communities that have sprung up around them and the culture and activism that these spaces embody. Pairs gorgeous photos with profiles of each of the featured…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Queens

  Portraits of Black Women and Their Fabulous Hair

  Cunningham, Michael, 1969 Feb. 27-

  Add Queens to your for later shelf

  A celebration of Black women, the many ways they wear their hair, and the beauty salons where they find community, from photographer Michael Cunningham. "Queens" pairs personal narratives with intimate and uplifting photos from throughout the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• In/sight

  African Photographers, 1940 to the Present

  Add In/sight to your for later shelf

  An anthology featuring the work of 30 African photographers that seeks to challenge Western misconceptions about Africa. Blending archival portraits and architectural photography from the 1940s-1970s that explores everyday life and culture during…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Dawoud Bey

  Seeing Deeply / Dawoud Bey

  Bey, Dawoud, 1953-

  Add Dawoud Bey to your for later shelf

  A retrospective of Dawoud Bey's work, from early street photography to current images of gentrification, capturing 40 years of a changing Harlem. A portrayal of the contemporary African American experience as viewed through the photographer's own…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Bare Witness

  Photographs

  Parks, Gordon, 1912-2006

  Add Bare Witness to your for later shelf

  An anthology of the photography of Gordon Parks, a man of many talents who was particularly known for his work behind the camera. "Bare Witness" spans the breadth of his long and storied career, which helped spread awareness of the plight of the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Personal Vision

  Photographs

  Cowans, Adger W.,

  Add Personal Vision to your for later shelf

  An apprentice to the famed Gordon Parks, Adger W. Cowans is a high-profile photographer in his own right. This collection focuses less on his career in Hollywood and more on his street photography, his coverage of the civil rights movement, and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Carrie Mae Weems

  Weems, Carrie Mae, 1953-

  Add Carrie Mae Weems to your for later shelf

  A critical reflection on the groundbreaking work of photographer Carrie Mae Weems. Her unique focus on intimate family settings (famously the kitchen table) challenges the role and depictions of Black women and pushes back against systemic violence…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Black Is Beautiful

  JET Beauties of the Week : the Photography of LaMonte McLemore

  McLemore, Lamonte, 1935-

  Add Black Is Beautiful to your for later shelf

  A retrospective on the now-defunct JET magazine, particularly the "Beauties of the Week" segment photographed by LaMonte McLemore - which featured the everyday beauty and elegance of Black women, the majority of whom were not professional models.

• House of Bondage

  Cole, Ernest, 1940-1990,

  Add House of Bondage to your for later shelf

  First released in 1967, this collection of photography changed the way the world talked about apartheid in South Africa. An unflinching look at the horrors of apartheid from a Black South African man who eventually fled the country, smuggling out…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Our Own Selves

  Ijewere, Nadine,

  Add to your for later shelf

  A collection of the work of fashion photographer Nadine Ijewere - the first Black female photographer whose work appeared on the cover of Vogue. Influenced by her Nigerian and Jamaican roots as well as her experiences growing up in East London,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Enterprising Images

  the Goodridge Brothers, African American Photographers, 1847-1922

  Jezierski, John Vincent

  Add Enterprising Images to your for later shelf

  You'll need to visit GRPL's History Center to browse this one: an exploration of one of the most significant and long-lasting African American photo studios in North America, which operated in part in our very own Saginaw, Michigan. "Enterprising…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Muse

  Mickalene Thomas Photographs

  Thomas, Mickalene, 1971-

  Add Muse to your for later shelf

  Known primarily as a mixed-media artist, Mickalene Thomas identifies photography as the core layer of her work. This collection explores her many various approaches to photography and the lasting influence of the 1970s Black-is-beautiful aesthetic…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Envisioning Emancipation

  Black Americans and the End of Slavery

  Willis, Deborah, 1948-

  Add Envisioning Emancipation to your for later shelf

  A collection of 150 photographs to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, including many never-before-published images. Ranging from the 1850s through the 1930s, these photos and the accompanying text explore the massive…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Separate, but Equal

  the Mississippi Photographs of Henry Clay Anderson

  Anderson, H. C. (Henry Clay), 1911-

  Add Separate, but Equal to your for later shelf

  A collection of photography from Henry Clay Anderson - a professional Black photographer in Greenville, Mississippi who captured the middle-class black community throughout the '50s and '60s. From photos of family gatherings, weddings, and funerals…Read moreRead more of this annotation