On Sunday, November 14 at 2 p.m., photographer Kwame Brathwaite and writer Herb Boyd will speak on “Gone But Not Forgotten: From Icons to Ancestors,” a photographic tribute to fallen superstars selected from Brathwaite’s archives, which span over 53 years.
The exhibition, currently at the Strivers Gardens Gallery (300 West 135th Street), honors such celebrated musical icons as Michael Jackson, James Brown, Marvin Gaye, Abbey Lincoln, Bob Marley, Babatunde Olatunji, Ray Charles, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Betty Carter, Miles Davis and Barry White.
Brathwaite and Boyd will speak on the artists appearing in the exhibition, most of whom Brathwaite has known on a personal level, to a limited group of guests and members of the Strivers Gardens Condominium.
Brathwaite has been considered the ever-present “photo-documentarian” of the Black Arts and Culture Movement, the “keeper of the images.” While earning a living as a fashion, commercial and entertainment photographer, his primary interest has been the recording of the history of the African Diaspora, both politically and culturally.
Among the photographs featured are Michael Jackson with the Jackson Five in Africa; Michael becoming a teenager and partying at Studio 54; Michael at a “Wiz” party with Lena Horne; Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson; and Quincy Jones. Also included are Bob Marley at the Apollo and James Brown at the Apollo–a photograph that appeared in the Brooklyn Museum exhibition “Committed to the Image.”
Boyd, a veteran award-winning journalist, is one of the most prolific writers on Black lifestyles and politics.
Interested parties should RSVP immediately since space is limited. Contact the curator, Lisa Hayes, at (212) 491-0503 or Kwame Brathwaite’s Cultural Archives by calling (646) 355-6530.