I recently had the privilege of attending a presentation sponsored by The Fund for the Arts in partnership with the Speed Museum, featuring the work of photographer Frank Stewart.
According to his website:
"Frank Stewart is best known for his jazz photographs. He began his career touring clubs with jazz pianist and composer Ahmad Jamal in the mid-1970s. Over nearly 50 years, he has photographed some of the most notable jazz musicians, including Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon, Lionel Hampton, Roy Hargrove, Marcus Roberts, and Wynton Marsalis. Frank Stewart served as the senior staff photographer for Jazz at Lincoln Center.
With the support of two National Endowment for the Arts grants, Stewart traveled across the United States photographing African American communities. In 1977, he was part of the first team of journalists allowed into Communist Cuba."
Miles Davis in the Green Room - Frank Stewart
During the event, I had the opportunity to ask Mr. Stewart if he knew or remembered Moneta Sleet, Jr. With a broad smile, he responded, "Of course I knew Moneta. I worked for Johnson Publishing and was a stringer for Moneta in Chicago. What a nice man and a great photographer."
Meeting Frank Stewart and witnessing the incredible body of work he accumulated over his fifty-year career was profoundly rewarding. It was fascinating to imagine the places he had visited, the people he had met and photographed, and to hear about his experiences with Moneta Sleet.
In the photo below, Mr. Stewart discusses some of his work, and to his right is a young photographer from Louisville, Jon Cherry. Jon's story is equally remarkable and significant; he won the Pulitzer Prize for his work with Getty Images during the riot at the US Capitol.
Jon Cherry and Frank Stewart (center) viewing some of Stewart’s Jazz at Lincoln Center collection.
I recommend you get to know the work of both these accomplished photographers. You can learn more on the web.
Twenty years ago, I initiated a program in Owensboro called "The Kid’s Camera Project of Owensboro". This initiative aimed to mentor young individuals facing various challenges in their lives. The primary objective was to encourage these young people to express themselves in positive ways, to be aware of the beauty in the world around them and by providing them with cameras and instructing them to tell a story from their perspective. Over the years, the narratives conveyed through their photographs were extraordinary.
The Kid’s Camera Project of Owensboro - A group of remarkable mentors and young photographers
Through this endeavor, I became acquainted with the history of Moneta Sleet, Jr., an Owensboro native who achieved the distinction of being the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize for Photography. Subsequently, I was invited to curate an exhibition of Moneta's work for the City of Owensboro and the Sleet Festival. Many of you may have had the opportunity to view the exhibition in Louisville and Frankfort.
This image by Moneta Sleet, Jr. won the Pulitzer Prize in 1969. The image shows Corretta Scott King and their daughter Bernice at the funeral for Martin Luther King, Jr.
Seeing the work of Frank Stewart and Jon Cherry and revisiting the photographs of Moneta Sleet, Jr. reminded me of how important visual storytelling can be. It’s about a point of view, an emotion, even tragedy but certainly it can make us aware of the beauty of the world around us. Some stories are told by writing novels, and poetry, and in the case of Frank Stewart, Moneta Sleet Jr., and Jon Cherry stories are told through their remarkable vision and talent.
I am grateful to The Fund for the Arts and the Speed Museum for bringing Frank Stewart to Louisville.
For more information on programs exhibitions and events in Louisville go to:
www.speedmuseum.org
www.fundforthearts.org
“Growing up in the South, I was surrounded by the sounds of life that stem from the profound truth of what it means to be human." The act of taking a picture is to bring those truths to the image—all the pictures you have seen, all the books you have read, the music you have heard, and the people you have loved.”
Frank Stewart