Black History Month photo exhibit in Woodstock features radical groups ByJohn Sullivan
Published: 2:00 AM - 02/14/11 WOODSTOCK — When one thinks of the history of the Hudson Valley, images of lush landscapes, Revolution-era battles on the Hudson River or a sea of long-haired kids at a farm in Sullivan County often come to mind. Far rarer will one find images of the Black Panthers standing before a burned-out storefront and offering free meals to children. Yet these too are a part of our region’s past, as seen in the work of Peruvian-born photographer William Cordova. His photos of radical minority groups in the area are part of his current exhibit at the Center for Photography at Woodstock. February is Black History Month, and Cordova’s photographs are part of a larger meditation on history, identity and race by artists of color throughout the month at CPW, at 59 Tinker St. The exhibit, which runs through March 27, shows the works of 17 black, Asian and Hispanic photographers who belonged to the center’s artist-in-residency program from 2007 through 2009. Not all the photos focus on racial identity — others themes include aging, infertility and bereavement — but they all emphasize the importance of personal histories in formulating our collective past, said Ariel Shanberg, executive director of the center. “The histories revealed in an exhibit like this remind us of the importance of histories found in personal experience, and how that contributes to the greater narrative,” Shanberg said. Cordova’s work anchors the exhibit to our region’s history, with articles and photos documenting the presence of the radical groups, Young Lords and the Black Panthers, in Westchester County. One clip shows a burned-out Peekskill storefront that was the office of the Black Panthers in 1969, while another tells of how 50 kids were served “eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, milk, orange juice and vitamins” at a Black Panther-sponsored free meal at Bessie’s Open Door Cafe, also in Peekskill in that year. “I think when people from the area think about such movements, they think about it happening somewhere else,” said Shanberg, emphasizing the importance of artists like Cordoza, who both document our times and remind us that truth is rarely captured by the perspective of one group alone. [email protected] -- http://m.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110214/NEWS/102140339/-1/SITEMAP%3E&template=wapart Via InstaFetch -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Sixties-L" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/sixties-l?hl=en.
