No Parking on the Dance Floor: The Dance of Gordon Parks
“I chose my camera as a weapon against all the things I
dislike about America – poverty, racism, discrimination.”
Gordon Parks
You can choose your mentors and I choose Gordon Parks. Gordon Parks was the first African American
photographer to work for the famed Life
Magazine. He started at Life
Magazine in 1948. Prior to going to Life Magazine Mr. Parks had turned his
camera to the South Side of Chicago and he chronicled the poverty that African
Americans were suffering under in Chicago. While Chicago was called the
“Promised Land” and millions of African Americans were migrating from down south
to up north, or what some called up south, looking for a better life they found
themselves suffocating under the weight a race based and class based city that
was segregated. In 1941 Mr. Parks
exhibition of photographs telling the suffering of his people in the ghettos of
Chicago won him a fellowship wit the Farm Security Administration (FSA).
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| American Gothic |
At the FSA Parks worked with the well-established
photographer Ron Stryker. It was Stryker
who Parks was warned that his
work was to strong of an indictment of America.
His most famous image American
Gothic when first seen by Stryker he said to Parks, “This is an indictment
of America, and it can get all of my photographers fired.” Parks did not back down, he continued to
push, shoot, write and ensure that his work got out and America was forced to
look poverty, racism and discrimination in the face!
was both a mentor to Parks and a person who reportedly told Parks to tone
his work down.
Parks didn’t park with pictures. As Life
Magazine closed it’s doors in 1972 Parks didn’t sit on the steps and cry.
He had already written a best selling book The Learning Tree and
produced and directed the movie adaptation of his book. In 1971 as Life was preparing to pack up because it
hadn’t caught up with the new age being dominated by television Parks was finishing
up his next movie project. That movie
project was Shaft. Yes, I am talking about Shaft! Parks was a bad mother ….shut my mouth! I don’t think so..I
am talking about Gordon Parks.
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| Gordon Parks on set of Shaft with Richard Roundtree |
Parks was an artist who understood how to navigate the
changing times, adapt his art and continue to be relevant and make sure he was
heard and seen. He was a writer,
composer, moviemaker and photographer.
As the landscape around him was shifting he adapted and succeeded. He didn’t cry about yesterday and how the
times had changed but rather he changed with the times while not losing his
soul. As the photographic world and the
world in general is going through massive change today what will we do? Fred Ritchin put it this way in his book After
Photography
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| Gordon Parks |
“For those of who think of digital media as simply providing
more efficient tools, what we are witnessing today is an evolution in
media. This is the more reassuring,
business-as-usual stance, probably held by the majority. For those who see the digital as compromising
a markedly different environment than the analog, what we are currently
observing is no less than a revolution.” P. 20
We are in the midst of a revolution. How are we going to make sure we are seen and
heard during this time? Will we change
with the age without losing our soul or will we huddle and darkrooms and reminisce
about the time when film was king / queen?
Will we adapt to the world fueled by virtual relationships, virtual
spaces and the democratization of the creation and sharing of art? Will we find our American Gothic, shoot it,
share it, write about, grow a following and make change? Will we learn from artist like Gordon Parks
who was relevant and productive until the day he died?
To learn more about Gordon Parks I offer the following:
A nice slice of Mr. Parks work is in this four minute video. If you want to see his work, take four minutes and be AMAZED!
This 90 minute documentary gives you the best overall look at Gordon Parks and his work.
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