{"id":8693,"global_id":"portlandartmuseum.org?id=8693","global_id_lineage":["portlandartmuseum.org?id=8693"],"author":"15","status":"publish","date":"2023-12-13 11:46:53","date_utc":"2023-12-13 19:46:53","modified":"2024-07-24 14:45:18","modified_utc":"2024-07-24 21:45:18","url":"https:\/\/portlandartmuseum.org\/event\/representing\/","rest_url":"https:\/\/portlandartmuseum.org\/wp-json\/tribe\/events\/v1\/events\/8693","title":"Representing","description":"

Vernacular Photographs of, by, and for African Americans<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Overview<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Representing: Vernacular Photographs of, by, and for African Americans <\/em>brings together studio portraits from an important North Portland family album, vernacular snapshots, and Polaroids to demonstrate the rich diversity of African-American life and experience from the late 1800s through the 1990s. Throughout the history of photography, the representation of African Americans has been problematic and, until recently, understudied. During the 19th and 20th centuries, negative depictions of African Americans published in the popular press distorted white audiences\u2019 understanding of black life and culture. Personal, everyday photographs made by, for, and of African Americans, rarely seen by wider audiences, serve as important counter-images to the stereotypical media portrayals of the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Representing-Portrait-of-a-Couple-cropped\"
Nottingham Studio, Macon, Missouri, Untitled (Portrait of a Couple)<\/strong>, ca. 1898, collodion print, Museum Purchase: Photography Acquisition Fund, no known copyright restrictions, 2015.121.27<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The earliest photographs featured in Representing<\/em>, now part of the Museum\u2019s permanent collection, come from the North Portland estate of Carl and Judge Mercedes Deiz. A prominent Oregon couple, Carl (1920\u20132014) was a Tuskegee Airman during World War II, and Mercedes (1917\u20132005) was the first black woman to be admitted to the Oregon State Bar. Turn-of-the-20th<\/sup>-century studio portraits of successful middle-class African Americans from the Deiz family album serve as counterpoints to concurrent, mass-marketed images of former slaves, minstrels, unskilled workers, and even lynchings. In addition, snapshots from Peter J. Cohen\u2019s notable vernacular photography collection, produced during the mid-20th century, provide glimpses of daily life and leisure culture in African-American communities. Finally, found Polaroids drawn from artist Zun Lee\u2019s personal collection depict milestones, candid moments, and poignant interactions between family members and friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Together, these varied and personal photographs, produced throughout the United States during significant eras of the country\u2019s history, challenge racial stereotypes and assumptions, and demonstrate how African Americans chose to portray themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Organized by the Portland Art Museum and curated by Julia Dolan, Ph.D., The Minor White Curator of Photography.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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View the works in our permanent collection<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Download exhibition panels<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>","excerpt":"","slug":"representing","image":{"url":"https:\/\/portlandartmuseum.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Representing_exhibition.jpg","id":8696,"extension":"jpg","width":1024,"height":576,"filesize":303879,"sizes":{"medium":{"width":700,"height":394,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":53032,"url":"https:\/\/portlandartmuseum.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Representing_exhibition-700x394.jpg"},"thumbnail":{"width":270,"height":270,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":17721,"url":"https:\/\/portlandartmuseum.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Representing_exhibition-270x270.jpg"},"medium_large":{"width":768,"height":432,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":59914,"url":"https:\/\/portlandartmuseum.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Representing_exhibition-768x432.jpg"},"small":{"width":375,"height":500,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":33544,"url":"https:\/\/portlandartmuseum.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Representing_exhibition-375x500.jpg"},"medium-large":{"width":900,"height":506,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":77141,"url":"https:\/\/portlandartmuseum.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Representing_exhibition-900x506.jpg"},"card":{"width":904,"height":565,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":80778,"url":"https:\/\/portlandartmuseum.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Representing_exhibition-904x565.jpg"},"post":{"width":975,"height":500,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":79905,"url":"https:\/\/portlandartmuseum.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Representing_exhibition-975x500.jpg"}}},"all_day":false,"start_date":"2017-07-29 08:00:00","start_date_details":{"year":"2017","month":"07","day":"29","hour":"08","minutes":"00","seconds":"00"},"end_date":"2017-12-03 17:00:00","end_date_details":{"year":"2017","month":"12","day":"03","hour":"17","minutes":"00","seconds":"00"},"utc_start_date":"2017-07-29 15:00:00","utc_start_date_details":{"year":"2017","month":"07","day":"29","hour":"15","minutes":"00","seconds":"00"},"utc_end_date":"2017-12-04 01:00:00","utc_end_date_details":{"year":"2017","month":"12","day":"04","hour":"01","minutes":"00","seconds":"00"},"timezone":"America\/Vancouver","timezone_abbr":"","cost":"","cost_details":{"currency_symbol":"$","currency_code":"USD","currency_position":"prefix","values":[]},"website":"","show_map":false,"show_map_link":false,"hide_from_listings":false,"sticky":false,"featured":false,"categories":[{"name":"Exhibitions","slug":"exhibitions","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":17,"taxonomy":"tribe_events_cat","description":"","parent":0,"count":201,"filter":"raw","id":17,"urls":{"self":"https:\/\/portlandartmuseum.org\/wp-json\/tribe\/events\/v1\/categories\/17","collection":"https:\/\/portlandartmuseum.org\/wp-json\/tribe\/events\/v1\/categories"}}],"tags":[],"venue":[],"organizer":[],"custom_fields":[],"json_ld":{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org","@type":"Event","name":"Representing","description":"<p>Vernacular Photographs of, by, and for African Americans Overview Representing: Vernacular Photographs of, by, and for African Americans brings together studio portraits from an important North Portland family album, vernacular snapshots, and […]<\/p>\\n","image":"https:\/\/portlandartmuseum.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Representing_exhibition.jpg","url":"https:\/\/portlandartmuseum.org\/event\/representing\/","eventAttendanceMode":"https:\/\/schema.org\/OfflineEventAttendanceMode","eventStatus":"https:\/\/schema.org\/EventScheduled","startDate":"2017-07-29T08:00:00-07:00","endDate":"2017-12-03T17:00:00-08:00","performer":"Organization"},"is_virtual":false,"virtual_url":null,"virtual_video_source":""}