Civil rights photographer and artist continues to expand today, even as the 20th anniversary of his death arrives on March 7. However, the Gordon Parks Foundation, which celebrates the same milestone this year, is finding it harder to fund its work inspired by the director of 鈥淭he Learning Tree鈥� and 鈥淪haft.鈥�
Though Gordon Parks Foundation Executive Director Peter W. Kunhardt, Jr., told The Associated Press that have only had a limited direct impact on the foundation鈥檚 work due to a 鈥渟trong base of supporters,鈥� it isn鈥檛 immune to the changing, more competitive funding landscape that many arts-focused nonprofits now face.
鈥淲e鈥檙e definitely sensitive to the fact the world has drastically changed and the arts and DEI and culture have definitely taken a hit,鈥� said Kunhardt.
That puts extra emphasis on fundraising events like the foundation鈥檚 gala — its largest annual fundraising event 鈥� especially in a major anniversary year.
The foundation said Tuesday it will honor EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) winner , Grammy winner Chance the Rapper, Mellon Foundation President Elizabeth Alexander, and artist Henry Taylor at its gala on May 19 in Manhattan. Advocate and philanthropist Lonnie Ali will also be honored at the event, accepting the award for her late husband Muhammad Ali, who was a longtime friend of Parks, and their entire family.
鈥淲e need to preserve the past to inspire the future by honoring these individuals,鈥� Kunhardt said. 鈥淭he particular people on this list for 20 years are very important because they represent many different disciplines that Gordon Parks focused in on and who have championed the arts and social justice.鈥�
Parks was best known for his work at Life magazine, documenting race relations and American life for decades as the magazine鈥檚 first Black staff photographer. He famously bought his first camera at a pawnshop and taught himself to use it at a mix of jobs in Minnesota.
That work led to him receiving the Julius Rosenwald Fellowship in 1942, which provided a one-year apprenticeship under Roy Stryker at the Farm Security Administration, alongside acclaimed photographers including Walker Evans and Dorothea Lange. Parks wanted to provide similar support for young artists and the Gordon Parks Foundation now awards numerous fellowships in art, music and writing. Last year, the foundation launched a Legacy Acquisition Fund, which purchases the work of older artists in order to support them and their connection to Parks.
Those programs, along with the star-studded 2021 HBO documentary 鈥淎 Choice of Weapons: Inspired by Gordon Parks,鈥� have fueled a resurgence of interest in Parks and his work.
鈥淧eople who have had such an extraordinarily long life and so much output of such a high caliber like Parks are bound to become players who become even more important,鈥� said Casey Riley, chair of the Department of Global Contemporary Art at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e paying attention to what he was doing, it will be relevant to the moment.鈥�
Riley — who curated the museum鈥檚 鈥淎merican Gothic: Gordon Parks and Ella Watson鈥� exhibit, which focused on the creation of one of the 20th century鈥檚 most influential photographs — said that Parks is a 鈥渢ouchstone鈥� for many artists of color, especially Black American artists. However, the Kansas-born Parks has a special bond with artists from Minneapolis and St. Paul, where he spent his formative years as a photographer.
鈥淗e came of age here and really began to realize what his dream for his life would be,鈥� Riley said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a powerful and resonant story for people here. They take a lot of pride in him, but they also see him as one of their own.鈥�
Last month, Minnesota state lawmakers announced plans to honor Parks with a statue in downtown St. Paul.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a beacon,鈥� Riley said. 鈥淗e is someone who was thinking about social justice and matters of equity for the entirety of his career and powerfully saw the camera as an essential and critical force in helping us to connect with one another and understand the urgencies of our time.鈥�
That continues today, as tensions run high in Minneapolis-St. Paul following the deaths of and at the hands of federal immigration officers. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not an accident that we have so many talented photojournalists here working in the Twin Cities,鈥� Riley said in an interview before Pretti鈥檚 death on Saturday. 鈥淭hey very much understand who he was. And the results of their work resounding around the globe right now as we speak is proof of that.鈥�
Further proof comes from the wide range of A-list supporters for Parks and his work. The co-chairs of the annual gala range from musicians Alicia Keys and her husband Swizz Beatz, whose real name is Kasseem Dean, to CNN journalist Anderson Cooper and Brooklyn Nets co-owner Clara Wu Tsai. Super Bowl quarterback and political activist Colin Kaepernick and former Ford Foundation President Darren Walker are among those who will induct this year鈥檚 honorees.
鈥淲hat we鈥檙e doing has not really changed with the times,鈥� Kunhardt said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been one of the constants. We鈥檝e done it when it wasn鈥檛 attractive to celebrate Black art and we鈥檙e still doing it. Our authenticity has been the same along the way.鈥�
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