There are iconic photographs in “Called to the Camera: Black American Studio Photographers,” now open at the New Orleans Museum of Art. Viewers will recognize Ernest C. Withers’ landmark photo of the 1968 Memphis sanitation workers strike, with men carrying signs bearing the words “I AM A MAN.” Withers said he printed the signs at his studio.
The show includes more photos of important moments in the civil rights movement as well as portraits of figures such as Frederick Douglass, Langston Hughes and Al Green. There also are photos by artists including Gordon Parks and Endia Beal. But the show focuses on Black studio photographers and their portraits. That studio work had an impact on the field of photography, including art photography.
Dat NOLA Chic is a New Orleans native, persona, and writer who loves her city, cultures, traditions, and especially the people. She believes new Orleans is alive with a loving, resilient mothering soul whose spirit is kept alive within the hearts of New Orleanians.
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