In the practice of Beverly Price and Gordon Parks, photography is a continuum. For them, images are both dynamic and archival, documenting a unique moment and continuing to speak to viewers long after time has passed. our common languageOpening this month at the Center for Arts and Advocacy, the exhibition explores these broad and evolving interpretations of the practice through direct conversations with Price and Parks.
One of the most acclaimed photographers of his era, Parks (1912-2006) was immersed in American life from the 1940s onwards, creating portraits such as ebony and charm and develop programs rooted in civil rights and social justice. He sees his work not only as a way to capture the realities happening in homes, offices, and streets from New York to Washington, D.C., to Chicago, but also as an urgent means of advocacy. “I saw that the camera could be a weapon against poverty, racism and all sorts of social wrongs,” he said. “That’s when I knew I had to have a camera.”
When Parks died in 2006, Price had just been released from a 20-year prison sentence and did not pick up a camera for the next decade. But when she did, she struck up a conversation with the late photographer. Price, a 2023 fellow at the center, similarly sees her approach as advocating for those who might not otherwise be heard, especially focusing on prevention and children most affected by the same issues Parks worked to address.
When Price began taking photos in the Anacostia neighborhood southeast of Washington, D.C., a geographic overlap arose between the two photographers. exist our common languageWe witness the close relationship between Price and Parks in a lecture that explores how these particular social and cultural landscapes evolve and the people most affected by their realities.
A common thread is that both photographers often focus on children. In a housing project in Anacostia, Parks captured a group of adorable young dancers and their synchronized movements. Price also captures moments of joy and reverie with images of two soaking wet boys enjoying an open fire hydrant on a hot day. In their work, childhood is both sacred and fragile, with compounding forces of police violence, poverty, and discrimination threatening its sanctity.
The wider impact of the prison system also permeates the entire exhibition. In one Harlem photo from 1963, Parks captured a young boy leaning casually against a makeshift barricade, while another from the time documented a protest against the police state. There’s also his striking observation of a Chicago prison, in which a man puts his hand on an iron grating, his shadow framed by a cage on a nearby wall.
Price also paid tribute to police with a closely cropped photo of someone showing off a pair of Air Jordans with an electronic monitor affixed to the top of the sneakers. “For me, photography is a powerful tool for social justice—a means of documenting truth, challenging perceptions, and advocating for change,” Price said in her artist statement. “I hope that through my work, audiences can gain a deeper understanding of the complexity of the Black experience and work together to create a more just and equitable world.”
our common language Held in Brooklyn from March 20 to June 19.
