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Opening This Weekend at the Carter!
Opening on Sunday, March 15, and running through Sunday, July 5, the Amon Carter Museum of American Art (The Carter) presents special exhibition Black Photojournalism. Organized by Carnegie Museum of Art, this exhibition brings together the work of more than 60 photographers working across the United States between 1945 and the mid-1980s. Featuring over 250 photographs, the exhibition highlights the groundbreaking role of Black photojournalists in documenting both pivotal historical events in addition to the everyday lives of Black Americans.
“Black Photojournalism continues the Carter’s commitment to providing a more comprehensive view of American artistic expression,” said Scott Wilcox, Interim Director of the Carter. “This exhibition not only celebrates the artistry and vision of these photojournalists but also amplifies the stories and communities that have often been underrepresented in the history of American media and art. We are grateful to Carnegie Museum of Art for organizing this exhibition and to the many photographers, publishers, and archives whose work allows us to share these powerful images with Fort Worth audiences.”
From the rise of Black-owned media following World War II to the civil rights movement and beyond, these images showcase the vital contributions of Black photojournalists in shaping how people saw themselves and their communities. Their photographs not only documented moments of social change but also captured the vibrancy of daily life, offering a fuller and more nuanced portrayal of Black experiences in America. Together, these works underscore how photojournalism served as both a record of history and a tool for empowerment.
Kwame Brathwaite (American, 1938-2023);Changing Times;ca. 1973, printed 2025;inkjet print;sheet: 60 × 60 in. (152.4 × 152.4 cm);The Kwame Brathwaite Archive;BPJ.2025.997
“Black Photojournalism is a rich and unprecedented opportunity to see how Black photographers persistently and imaginatively captured Black life in the history-making decades of the post-World War II era,” said Charles Wylie, Curator of Photographs at the Carter. “Carnegie Museum of Art has created an extraordinary experience for visitors that breaks new ground with a much fuller look than ever before at how Black life was represented in the vibrant Black press. A special feature will be the chance to see how well-known artists such as Kwame Brathwaite, Gordon Parks, Ming Smith, and Shawn Walker, among many, produced photographs for the pages of Black media outlets that have now achieved iconic status as works of art.”
Drawn from archives and collections across the country, the original photography prints in Black Photojournalism reveal the tireless efforts of Black publishers, photographers, and news professionals who built groundbreaking editorial methods and networks during a time of urgent social change. Newspapers and magazines such as the Afro American News, Atlanta Daily World, Chicago Defender, Ebony, and Pittsburgh Courier offered powerful new ways for Black readers to see themselves and their communities, transforming the media landscape in ways that continue to resonate today.
The exhibition is arranged chronologically, with sections organized by decade. These sections include:
Charles “Teenie” Harris (1908–1998), A Pittsburgh Courier press operator, possibly William Brown, printing newspapers, possibly for a Midwestern edition, 1954, inkjet print, Carnegie Museum of Art, Heinz Family Fund, 2001.35.3136, © Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh
· 1940s–1950s: America After the War
Taking its title from Langston Hughes’s 1943 column in the Chicago Defender, this section reflects the hopes and dreams of Black Americans in the aftermath of World War II. Black photojournalists documented not only the persistence of racial inequities—segregation, economic disparity, and limited opportunities—but also moments of joy, family life, and community resilience. This era saw the rise of Black-owned newspapers and magazines, including Ebony and the Pittsburgh Courier, which foregrounded Black experiences for Black audiences. Together, the photographs and publications in this section, including important work by Austin Hansen, Charles “Teenie” Harris, Moneta Sleet, Jr., and Gordon Parks, highlight the innovative networks and editorial methods that shaped Black media in mid-century America.
Moneta Sleet Jr. (1926–1996), Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. enroute to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, 1964, gelatin silver print, Saint Louis Art Museum, Gift of the Johnson Publishing Company, 402:1991, © Johnson Publishing Company Archive, Courtesy J. Paul Getty Trust and Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture; Made possible by the Ford Foundation, J. Paul Getty Trust, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and Smithsonian Institution
· 1960s: Black Is Beautiful
This section documents a transformative era of liberation, expression, and hope. The 1960s brought both social upheaval and cultural affirmation, as Black Americans embraced identity, heritage, and political activism. Photographers in this decade, including Guy Crowder, Chester Higgins, and Ernest Withers, captured civil-rights milestones alongside everyday community life, showing how collective action and cultural pride intertwined.
While iconic images of protest often came from White-owned media, Black photojournalists offered nuanced perspectives, emphasizing the creativity, solidarity, and resilience that defined the fight for equity.
Ming Smith (b. 1953), America Seen Through Stars and Stripes, New York City, NY, ca. 1973, gelatin silver print, Carnegie Museum of Art, Margaret M. Vance Fund, 2017.19.5, © Ming Smith. By permission
· 1970s: Can You Dig It?
The 1970s were marked by cultural innovation, political engagement, and a celebration of Black life across the arts and media. Photojournalists documented the influence of Black Power, the Black Panther Party, and the emergence of blaxploitation films like Gordon Parks’s Shaft (1971), reflecting a society attuned to both struggle and style. This section captures the vibrancy of music, fashion, and daily life as seen in works by Kwame Brathwaite, such as Jacksons on Boat from Gorée Island (ca. 1974) and Changing Times (ca. 1973). Also included are moments of protest and progress, emphasizing creativity as both expression and resistance, as is seen in Ming Smith’s America Seen Through Stars and Stripes, New York (ca. 1973). Together, these images reveal how Black communities claimed space, culture, and visibility in a rapidly changing world.
Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe (b. 1951), Josette’s Wedding, Queens, New York, 1981, gelatin silver print, Carnegie Museum of Art, the William Talbott Hillman Fund for Photography, 2023.50.1, © Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe
· 1980s: Keep Hope Alive
Named after Jesse Jackson’s 1988 campaign slogan, this section reflects the complex realities of Black life in the 1980s, a decade shaped by systemic disenfranchisement, the war on drugs, and mass incarceration. Black photojournalists including Adger Cowans, Bruce Talamon, and Deborah Willis-Ryan documented both the challenges of the era and moments of joy, from weddings and parades to intimate family gatherings, showing the endurance of community and spirit. These images underscore how Black media continued to affirm identity, resilience, and hope in the face of adversity. Through this work, the decade’s triumphs and trials are preserved in a rich, nuanced visual record.
The Carter’s presentation of the exhibition also features a distinctive Fort Worth component developed in collaboration with the Tarrant County Black Historical and Genealogical Society (TCBHGS). This partnership includes a dedicated presentation of ephemera and photographs from the TCBHGS archive, highlighting how our local Black media uniquely documented everyday life, community events, and historic milestones across North Texas from the postwar era through the mid-1980s. Voices from the TCBHGS are also featured in the Carter’s first exhibition audio guide on Bloomberg Connects, a free digital platform from Bloomberg Philanthropies that offers interactive content and interpretive insights, further deepening the exhibition’s connection to our local history and community perspectives.
Kwame Brathwaite (1938–2023), Changing Times, ca. 1973, inkjet print, The Kwame Brathwaite Archive, © Kwame Brathwaite
Black Photojournalism is organized by Carnegie Museum of Art. The exhibition is designed by artist David Hartt, and is co-organized by Dan Leers, curator of photography, and Charlene Foggie-Barnett, Charles “Teenie” Harris community archivist, in dialogue with an expanded network of scholars, archivists, curators, and historians. Significant support for this exhibition has been provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art. Black Photojournalism has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom. In-kind support for this exhibition has been provided by Herman Miller.
The Carter’s presentation of this exhibition is supported in part by the Leo Potishman Foundation, The David H. Gibson Foundation and the Alice L. Walton Foundation Temporary Exhibitions Endowment. In-kind support provided by the Fort Worth Report.
