How did Gordon Parks shape photojournalism? Flyer town hall at Philbrook will explore

The work of one of the most influential American photojournalists of the 20th century is on display at Philbrook Museum of Art. 

The powerful impact and legacy of Gordon Parks’ photography will be the subject of a town hall conversation co-hosted by the Tulsa Flyer and Philbrook. I will moderate the event, set for 6 p.m. Friday, alongside award-winning national photojournalists Dudley M. Brooks and Fred Sweets. 

Both were admirers of Parks, whose work is highlighted in the exhibition “Homeward to the Prairie I Come: Gordon Parks Photographs from the Beach Museum of Art.”

“Most of the Black photographers I know saw Gordon Parks as their personal hero and role model for his style and ability to excel in anything he touched,” said Sweets, a former photo editor at the Associated Press and Los Angeles Times, among other publications. “He was a trailblazer in journalism, fashion, film, music, art and literature. He was a true renaissance man.”

First as a freelance photographer for Vogue in the 1940s and then as the first Black staff photographer for LIFE Magazine, Parks traveled the world documenting everything from fashion in Paris to poverty in Harlem and South America. He shot portraits of icons like Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X. Parks went on to write numerous books and direct movies, becoming the first Black director of a studio film with “The Learning Tree” based on his semiautobiographical novel. 

“While finding my own voice as a young photojournalist, Gordon Parks’ life story was a key inspiration for me,” said Brooks, a former photography leader at The Washington Post, Ebony magazine and more. “Not just because of his masterful narrations, created through eloquent imagery and prose. It was equally because Parks viewed himself as a citizen of the world and embraced all that attitude encompassed. He chose to defy the established boundaries of his time.”

Brooks and Sweets will discuss Parks’ works and how it influenced their photojournalism careers as they documented life in America over the past four decades. They will also discuss the importance of photojournalism in an age of AI and constant cuts occurring in legacy media organizations, like the Washington Post, where they both worked at points in their careers. 

Click here for more information on the event, including full biographies of Brooks and Sweets. The event is free to Philbrook members and $5 admission for non-Philbrook members.

Philbrook hosts other Parks events

On Feb. 27, Philbrook hosted “Dreamland Tulsa Foundation presents A Journey Through Art, Music and Cinema.”

Hosted by Dreamland founder Steph Simon, the panel discussion included legendary Tulsa photographer Don Thompson, filmmaker Laron Chapman, film critic Shawn Edwards and moderator Autumn Brown. The talk was followed by a screening of Parks’ “Shaft.”

To kick off the evening, DJ Noname hosted a silent disco for attendees to listen to while taking in Parks’ photos. Black Moon Tulsa and No Parking Studios were also in attendance to sell art.

More events are on the horizon ahead of the exhibition’s closure June 19. Oklahoma Eagle and Tulsa Flyer Executive Editor Gary Lee will moderate a May 1 town hall on the impact of Parks’ words.

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