A reception at the Wilson Arts Center last night celebrated the Martin Luther King holiday and the exhibit of photographs taken immediately after King's 1968 assassination by Burk Uzzle. The galleries were packed with people getting close-up, lingering looks at the black-and-white photos. It was an extraordinary exhibit of anguished faces and a historical artifact documenting one of the most tragic and turbulent events in American history. Uzzle, the quiet, humble photographer, graciously discussed his pictures with gallery visitors, adding insight into the events that even his perceptive photographs could not capture.
From here, the exhibit goes to the American Tobacco Museum in Durham and likely will continue to travel from there. The exhibit is a major coup for the Arts Council of Wilson and has given the Arts Council more state and national publicity than it has ever known. Arts Council officials are still hoping for some international recognition of the magnitude of this exhibit. The Arts Council owes a tremendous debt to Uzzle, who has adopted Wilson as his hometown and sings its praises again and again.
Sometimes it takes an outsider to fully appreciate a city, and Uzzle serves that purpose in Wilson. He is bolstered by Theatre of the American South founder Gary Cole, who was at the gallery reception last night. Cole chose Wilson and the Edna Boykin Cultural Center as home for his theater festival and continues to praise the hospitality and artistic civic-mindedness of this city. One long-time resident, who chose to move here from elsewhere, has proposed promoting Wilson as "the city of the arts." Given last night's reception, Uzzle constant praise and the strong local arts community, it's not far-fetched.
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7 comments:
This isn't about Wilson and making money, and major coups and bloating already huge egos. It's about MLK and the strides African Americans have made. Period.
The photos are good. No one is debating that fact. What was funny is we couldn't decide if it was "humble" Burk Uzzle day or MLK day as everyone seemed clearly intent on paying homage to the photographer (who was doing his job when he took the pics) instead of the true honoree.
One thing is for certain. He made MLK celebrations at the Arts Council more palatable to Wilson's cultural elite (i.e., rich white ladies and their doctor and businessmen husbands, and the various other art critics, "experts" and collectors who know nothing about the subject. All of whom normally couldn't care less what happens at the Arts Council on January 18th.
Actually, if you read the publicity that announced the exhibit, Burk was not "doing his job." He was not assigned to do this work; he did it of his own volition because he knew how important it was. I think you'll also find that your stereotype of Arts Council patrons is not fair or accurate. The Arts Council has championed diversity (including African-American artists and performers and board members) for a long, long time. Burk has said that he hoped his photographs would help today's audience understand that time and what a tragedy King's death was. From the comments I have heard, he succeeded.
Nothing like a little defensive tirade to spoil what was a great article/showing about Uzzle's capturing great pics from mlk's history. Makes me shudder and just go wth, those people are never satisfied. Shake my head, shake my head. Somebody must have walked all over EOW earlier in life. I celebrate Uzzle as he is da man who snapped history. mlk is just another person who pushed for some changes and made history. We should not have federal holidays to celebrate as it decreases productivity, which we need badly now in thios slow economic (?)recovery?
Actually, some of the pictures were published in news magazines at the time. That = paid. That is often how photographers work. But that isn't the point. The point is, it was unclear who we were celebrating.
People are using Mr. Uzzle's stature in the community for their own selfish reasons. They're obviously workin' it. Just like they work Mr. Simpson. Who they wouldn't even give the time of day to, until someone outside the community discovered his work.
Showing the occasional African-American artist or performer and having board members that are non-white is just normal. That doesn't equate championing anything. Unless you believe the Arts Council's choice of hiring Jeff Dunham (widely considered to promote racist stereotypes) as championing diversity?
I saw the photographs today. They are outstanding. I wish everyone in Wilson would see them, and think really truly deeply about what they see in the photographs.
I offer one bit of helpful criticism: All the photographs seem to be in basically the same size frames, and the photos are displayed in an unimaginative way. For greater visual impact, it would've been nice to see the photos enlarged in a variety of sizes and arranged better, instead of predictably lined up along the wall at the same level.
But that's a quibble. The photographs reflect one of the most important moments in our nation's history. To see them is to be transported instantly to 1968. Inevitably, viewing the photographs from the perspective of 2010, one is led to compare Dr. King's era and our present time, and to meditate on why 1968 resonates today.
Nice! …photography brings a conversation, as it should.
It’s interesting how personal photographs can be - as said here from Erstwhile Editor responders.
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EOW mentioned how it was unclear if it was a celebration of MLK Day or Burk Uzzle, it is a Uzzle gallery exhibit after all, but the emphasis of the work is to show the events that happened following the assassination of Martin Luther King, being said.
As a photojournalist covering Burk Uzzle the photographer and a gallery show, with the opportunity to both meet with Uzzle and also to cover the Art’s Council MLK photo exhibit, I soon realized EOW’s point also …because, frankly I’m in awe of Uzzle’s experience, timing and master of imagery and can be somewhat star struck in a respective sense, but also aware that in the context of this particular exhibit, the true focus of this gallery showing is about the visual document of what happened in April of 1968. I questioned; “should more photos of Uzzle be presented or more of the Art’s Council gallery show itself with its purpose to bring historical awareness to the cause and event and of a civil rights leader?” The intent and timing of the MLK exhibit is crucial and there is the fact that such a talented and visionary photographer has presented their actual framed prints to Wide Awake, amazing. With all this in mind, hopefully, Exhibit remembers Martin Luther King, Jr. can show the importance of Burk Uzzle’s MLK photography exhibit; objectively, subjectively, historical and culturally relevant.
One of the most compelling of Uzzle’s MLK photographs or portraits, and all of them are, is the scene in front of King’s room at the Lorraine Motel showing a few witnesses to the day looking up at the second floor balcony where the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. took place. The building shown behind them is supposedly near or where James Earl Ray was at the time of the shooting. Uzzle arrived there only a few hours after the assassination when all the facts of the case were still being gathered, so it was probably unknown at the time, at least publicly, exactly where the shot/s came from or who was the sniper.
We should all seriously revel at having Wilson as a gathering point to experience, discuss, debate, display and marvel at the works of talented presenters…many thanks to those who make it possible! Great photographers reflect not only their own vision but also the reaction of moments and episode, whether with an art form or representing the minutes of a historical event, it’s an ever progressive quest of the retroactive second fused with a sense of timeless awareness, Uzzle shows a prime and international example of this.
A photographer’s work can speak for itself.
To add to this post, maybe Burk Uzzle (edited) can bring some of his own view to the conversation via: WRAL's Tarheel Traveler
Again. No one is questioning the quality of the photographs.
However, the grandiose nature of some peoples' reactions weren't about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.-- they are about the photographer. More specifically, what they can get out of him, or the opportunity he presents, as it relates to their desperate quest to get Wilson on some tourism map. This shouldn't be about that.
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