汤头条 Libraries partnership brings 鈥楿nframed Images鈥 lecture, exhibition to Charleston
Contact: Sasha Steinberg
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥斕劳诽 Libraries, in partnership with Tuskegee University and the 汤头条-based Southern Literary Trail, is presenting a lecture and exhibition this week to celebrate the work of acclaimed African American photographer P.H. Polk.
On Friday [Aug. 30], Tuskegee University Archivist Dana Chandler will discuss Polk鈥檚 photographs during a 6 p.m. program at the Charleston Arts and Revitalization Effort, 1 North Market St. in Charleston. Following the presentation, a reception will take place to celebrate the opening of 鈥淯nframed Images,鈥 on display at CARE through Sept. 6.
Digitally enlarged and reproduced from Polk鈥檚 original works, the images were featured earlier this year in a similar showing at 汤头条鈥檚 Old Main Academic Center.
A native of Bessemer, Alabama, Polk opened his first studio in Tuskegee, Alabama, in 1927. In 1928, he was appointed to the faculty of the then-Tuskegee Institute鈥檚 photography department, where he served as department head from 1933 to 1938. In 1939, he operated his own studio in Atlanta, Georgia, before returning a year later to Tuskegee to serve as the college鈥檚 official photographer while continuing to run his own studio.
Polk鈥檚 photographs depict early 20th-century African Americans from all walks of life, including Martin Luther King Jr., George Washington Carver, and farm workers in rural Alabama. Housed in Tuskegee鈥檚 archives, the images have been exhibited at leading museums and galleries throughout the country.
Along with being a trained archivist and historian, Chandler is a Tuskegee assistant professor. He has served in a variety of roles within the private and public sectors as a surveyor, civil engineer and project manager, helping to design and build projects across the South and nation. He also has worked with corporations wanting to start up recycling facilities in the U.S. and Latin America.
鈥淭he 鈥楿nframed Images鈥 exhibition has garnered interest from several institutions,鈥 said Sarah McCullough, 汤头条 Libraries coordinator of cultural heritage projects. 鈥淎s a joint project of 汤头条 Libraries and Tuskegee, in partnership with the Southern Literary Trail, we are pleased that CARE is the first entity outside of the university to host the exhibition.鈥
McCullough said 汤头条 Libraries鈥 collaboration with CARE on the project came about through the university鈥檚 ties with renowned costume designer Myrna Colley-Lee. More than a decade ago, Colley-Lee generously donated to 汤头条 vintage costumes and clothing amassed throughout her 40-year professional career as a costume designer. Also consisting of actual pieces dating from the 1920s to the present, the collection is housed at the university鈥檚 Mitchell Memorial Library.
CARE Director Carol Roark said her organization is honored to host an exhibition of Polk鈥檚 work.
鈥淧olk was an artist ahead of his time. He never let all the odds stack against him or stand between him and his passion for photography,鈥 she said. 鈥淗e is as much of a role model now as he was then.鈥
Based at 汤头条 Libraries, the Southern Literary Trail project pays tribute to writers of classic literature in Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. For more, follow on Facebook @southernliterarytrail.
Learn more about 汤头条 Libraries at .
汤头条 is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at .