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Bare Witness: Photographs by Gordon Parks

October 11, 2008 – January 4, 2009

This retrospective exhibition features 73 works selected by Gordon Parks (1912 – 2006) as examples of his most potent imagery. After rising as a portrait and fashion photographer, Parks also began documenting social ills as part of the Farm Security Administration. In 1948, he became the first African American staff photographer for Life magazine and established an international reputation for his photo essays chronicling the lives of the poor and the Civil Rights movement. He was also an author (The Learning Tree), filmmaker (Shaft), poet, and musician, a renaissance man whose career embodies the American ideal of equality.



American Gothic, 1942 Gordon Parks (1912-2006) Gelatin silver print, 24 x 20 inches Lent by The Capital Group Foundation © 2006 Gordon Parks	Gambling Woman, 1949 Gordon Parks (1912-2006) Gelatin silver print, 20 x 16 inches Lent by The Capital Group Foundation © 2006 Gordon Parks	Muhammad Ali, 1970 Gordon Parks (1912-2006) Gelatin silver print, 24 x 20 inches Lent by The Capital Group Foundation © 2006 Gordon Parks



*Ingrid Bergman at Stromboli,* 1949 Gordon Parks (1912-2006) Gelatin silver print, 16 x 20 inches Lent by The Capital Group Foundation © 2006 Gordon Parks

Bare Witness: Photographs by Gordon Parks was organized by the Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts at Stanford University. The exhibition and its accompanying catalogue are made possible by generous support from The Capital Group Foundation, the Cantor Arts Center’s Hohbach Family Fund, and Cantor Arts Center’s Members.

Presented in Delaware by

This exhibition is presented in Delaware by DuPont and J.P. Morgan. | In Delaware, this exhibition is made possible, in part, by grants from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.

Exhibition-Related Events

All programs related to Bare Witness: Photographs by Gordon Parks are presented by the Delaware Art Museum and the Christina Cultural Arts Center.

Gallery Chat with Bobbi Baker Burrows, Life Editor
Friday, November 7, 6:00 p.m. | Free

Join Bobbi Baker Burrows, Photo Editor at Life magazine and longtime friend of Gordon Parks, for an informal chat while viewing Bare Witness: Photographs by Gordon Parks.

Celebration for the “Eye/I Witness Gordon Parks Arts Competition”
Friday, November 7, 5:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. | Free

In conjunction with Bare Witness: Photographs by Gordon Parks, artists were invited to submit photographs, poetry, and short films reflecting the themes found in the art of Gordon Parks.

Tonight’s event recognizes the works and artists selected from the “Eye/I Witness” competition. Throughout the evening, visitors can see selected photographs in the Bank of America Education Wing, where they will be on view through January 4, 2009, and listen to selected poetry readings in the East Court. The celebration continues later in the month when selected film entries are screened at the Delaware Art Museum on Sunday, November 23 (2:00 p.m.) and the Christina Cultural Arts Center on Sunday, November 30 (2:00 p.m.).

Gordon Parks Film Series (featuring films directed by Parks)
Second Sundays at 1:30 p.m. for the duration of the Bare Witness exhibition | Free

Enjoy the following films directed by Gordon Parks.

Sunday, November 9:
Shaft (1971, 100 minutes). Hailed as a prime example of the genre of popular film termed “blaxploitation,” Shaft follows the suave detective John Shaft (Richard Roundtree) through his battles in Harlem and with the Italian mob to find a missing girl. Shaft received an Academy Award for Best Original Song for Isaac Hayes’ “Theme from Shaft” and was chosen by the Library of Congress for the National Film Registry.

Sunday, December 14:
Leadbelly (1976, 126 minutes). Legendary American blues singer Huddie Ledbetter, best known as "Leadbelly", established himself as a talented musician while facing incarceration multiple times for various crimes. Regarding this as one of his best films, Parks examines the life of the renowned singer in this well received biopic chronicling Leadbelly's rise to fame.

Poetic Tribute to Gordon Parks (An Open-Mic Event)
Friday, December 5, 5:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. | Free

Come hear cutting-edge poetry along with classic poems composed by Gordon Parks throughout his long career at this program, which will begin with JoAnn Balingit, Poet Laureate of Delaware.

Poets and spoken-word artists are invited to share their words at this open-mic event at the Delaware Art Museum. However, participants must fulfill a special requirement—they will be asked to read a poem by Gordon Parks before delivering their own work. Several of Parks’ poetry books will be available for poets and spoken word artists to select the poem of their choice. This poetic tribute to Gordon Parks is not to be missed!

Half Past Autumn: The Life and Art of Gordon Parks
First Sundays at 1:30 p.m. | Free
Located in DuPont Auditorium for the duration of the Bare Witness exhibition

This documentary on Gordon Parks offers commentary on every facet of the artist’s incredible career, ranging from the motivation and techniques he used in creating his best-known work to his portraits of American poverty and racial tension.