Throughout his life, Gordon Parks championed fellow artists and activists, and emphasized the importance of collaboration to his own artistic endeavors. For more than a decade, The Gordon Parks Foundation has made a central part of its mission supporting the work of artists and writers whose practice reflects and extends Parks’s legacy. A vital part of this support extends to the Foundation’s archive, at the center of which is Parks’s photograph and negative collection. The Foundation also actively acquires and stewards works by artists who were active in Parks’s artistic circles or have followed in his footsteps. These collections range from contemporary works by our fellows and prize winners, to those by artists who were a part of Parks’s artistic circle. The Gordon Parks Foundation Legacy Acquisition Fund, established in 2025, further expands this important aspect of the Foundation’s mission, focusing on artists who belonged to the artistic networks Parks was a part of, and whose work plays a historic role in the understanding of art as a form of activism.
Through The Gordon Parks Foundation Legacy Acquisition Fund, launched in 2025, the Foundation acquires artworks from mid- or late-career artists whose work is connected to Gordon Parks’s life and legacy and has likewise left an enduring mark. These artworks become part of The Gordon Parks Foundation’s permanent collection, and made available for study, research, and exhibitions. This exhibition presents works in the permanent collection of The Gordon Parks Foundation by the Legacy Acquisition Fund's inaugural artists: Mikki Ferrill and LeRoy Henderson.
Left: Mikki Ferrill; Right: LeRoy Henderson
Mikki Ferrill, Untitled from The Shine Boys series, 1973. © Mikki Ferrill
MIKKI FERRILL
Born in Chicago in 1937, Valeria “Mikki” Ferrill pursued her education in graphic design and illustration at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. It was during her studies that she first encountered photography as a transformative art form, sparked by images created by Ted Williams, a fellow South Side photojournalist known for his evocative photographs of jazz musicians. This pivotal moment led Ferrill to apprentice with Williams, shaping her path as a photographer.
As a protégé in Williams's studio, Ferrill immersed herself in the craft alongside notable photographers such as Tom Jackson and Jim Taylor and studying the work of photographers such as Gordon Parks. Through technical classes and hands-on experience, Ferrill developed her skills and artistic vision, realizing, “Photography is not just a documentary tool; it is a great art form.” From 1967 to 1970, Ferrill accompanied Williams on assignments in Mexico, where they covered events like the 1968 Olympics. Upon returning to Chicago in 1970, she became a freelance photographer, contributing her work to several notable publications, including Ebony, Downbeat, Chicago Defender, Chicago Tribune, Final Call, and Muhammad Speaks.
One of her most significant projects was a decade-long commitment to photographing The Garage, an improvised music club that popped up every Sunday in a car garage located at 610 East 50th Street in Chicago. Known affectionately as "The Picture-Taking Lady," Ferrill captured the spirit of the venue, which hosted a mix of jazz and R&B music. She noted, " The people, the music, and just the atmosphere became my spiritual inspiration." Her work from The Garage was featured in the first and second volumes of The Black Photographers Annual.
Ferrill's photography extended beyond The Garage, encompassing a wide range of subjects from community events to notable figures in Chicago's artistic landscape. She participated in influential exhibitions, including Two Schools: New York and Chicago Contemporary African-American Photography of the 60s and 70s in 1986. That same year, Ferrill’s work was included alongside Gordon Parks’s in the group exhibition curated by Deborah Willis, On Freedom: The Art of Photojournalism at the Studio Museum in Harlem. Throughout her career, Ferrill embraced her role as a woman in a male-dominated field, often being the only female photographer in various settings. Her experiences, ranging from her involvement with the press at significant events to her candid interactions with her subjects, underscored her belief in forming genuine connections. "I always did things on my own terms," she reflected, highlighting her commitment to authenticity in her work.
Click here to read an interview with Mikki Ferrill.
LEROY HENDERSON
LeRoy W. Henderson, Jr., born in Richmond, Virginia, in 1936, is a celebrated American photographer renowned for his documentation of social and political movements from the Civil Rights era to the present. Growing up in the Washington Park neighborhood, he was influenced by his experiences working odd jobs for local artists, including Adele Clark, a prominent painter and suffragist, whose studio inspired his creative pursuits. At the age of twelve, he purchased a Brownie Hawkeye camera, which he used to photograph model airplanes he had built. After graduating from Maggie Walker High School, he continued his studies at Virginia State University, where he received a bachelor's degree, and continued his studies at the Pratt Institute, where he earned a master’s degree. He also attended the School of Visual Arts to study photography and film.
In the 1960s, Following military service in Germany, where he worked as a cryptographer, Henderson returned to the U.S. and dedicated himself to photojournalism. Influenced by photographers like Gordon Parks and Walker Evans, he sought to produce work that not only represented events but also told the stories of the individuals involved. Throughout his career, Henderson captured key moments in Black history, such as the Poor People’s March on Washington and antiwar protests in New York City, and photographed influential figures such as Stokely Carmichael and Muhammad Ali. With these and other images, Henderson often provides a unique perspective that highlights the human experience.
Henderson’s work gained wider attention when he contributed work to The Black Photographers Annual in the 1970s. Since then, his work has been widely published in magazines such as Black Enterprise, Essence, Jet, Newsweek, and New York magazine. Henderson’s work has been shown in many one-person and group exhibitions, including the landmark exhibition Road to Freedom: Photographs of the Civil Rights Movement, 1956-1968, organized by the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. His photographs are held in several prestigious collections, including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Brooklyn Museum, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
Henderson’s career spans over five decades, and his work continues to offer a nuanced reflection of American society’s struggles, hopes, and resilience. His images reflect his dedication to visual storytelling, embodying the spirit of the era and the stories of those often overlooked. As he has said, “Most of us, we’re not looking for photographs as we walk around. But my motivation as a photographer and an artist is to be able to see the things that other people don’t see.”
Click here to read an interview with LeRoy Henderson.
LeRoy Henderson, Rosa Parks at the Black Political Convention, Gary, Indiana, 1972. © LeRoy Henderson