Whenever the fist of doubt knocks at my door, 
It is powerfully turned away by my hopeful singing. 
When things go from bad to worse I still sing my song. 

- Excerpt from Come Sing with Me by Gordon Parks

OPENING RECEPTION – THURSDAY OCTOBER 26TH 6:00- 8:00 PM

Weinstein Hammons Gallery is pleased to present The Song Called Hope, an exhibition of over twenty photographs by Gordon Parks (b. Fort Scott, Kansas, 1912-2006). This will be the fourth exhibition of Parks' work at Weinstein Hammons Gallery since 2012. 

A modern-day Renaissance man, Gordon Parks was one of the most prolific artists of the 20th century, whose creative practice extended beyond photography to encompass writing, musical composition, filmmaking, and painting. Taking its title from a line in Parks' poem “Come Sing with Me,” The Song Called Hope focuses on one of the most persistent subjects of Parks’ photographs over the years – children. Renowned for his profound and compassionate portrayal of American life for over five decades, Parks often turned his lens to children to use the camera to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.

One of the greatest examples of his commitment to representing children is his acclaimed semi-autobiographical bestselling novel turned movie, The Learning Tree, a coming-of-age story that revealed the harsh realities of navigating the injustices of systemic racism. Parks’ representation of children of color was therefore a deliberate effort to provide positive representations of Black youth in society. The exhibition is comprised of photographs from the early 1940s up to 1970s, locations spanning Harlem, Chicago, Alabama, Georgia and Fort Scott – all of significance in Parks’ life and career.

Weinstein Hammons Gallery would like to thank The Gordon Parks Foundation for their gracious assistance with this exhibition. 

For more information, click here.