I flew back to Dallas after two months as an artist-in-residence at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort via the Dallas Love Field Airport and took in their current exhibition.
A Legacy in Photography: Sepia Exhibition, The Music Collection
Sepia Magazine Photography Collection, African American Museum, Fair Park, Dallas, TX
Florence Ballard, Diana Ross, and Mary Wilson
From the Dallas Love Field Airport Website:
To coincide with Black History Month, Love Field has partnered with The African American Museum of Dallas to showcase the Sepia Magazine photography collection. Curated by Jiles King II and Jabari Jones, photographs were selected to highlight the iconic musicians that were submitted to the Sepia magazine.
Horace J. Blackwell, a black entrepreneur, set out to create a publication company that produced a true confessions tabloid magazine for African Americans. His first endeavor was The World’s Messenger in 1942 and was one of only two publications distributed regionally for African Americans. Blackwell’s success with The World’s Messenger, led to his 1946 production of Negro Achievements. In 1951, George Levitan purchased Negro Achievements and changed the name of the magazine to Sepia. The publication focused primarily on various aspects of African American culture, including religion, civil rights, education, entertainment, and politics.
Sepia had a circulation of approximately 160,000 in 1982, which was its final year of publication. Beatrice Pringle one of the first African American women publishers was its last publisher and left the magazine 1981. The Sepia Photographic Archive is one of the most valuable resources of African American achievement in the world, and is an immense catalogue of American culture and history. The archive contains over 10,000 photographs, and is one of the most important collections of historical photography ever amassed.
The African American Museum of Dallas is in one of the most diverse, creative, and exciting urban centers in the world, the eclectic areas inside Fair Park of South Dallas. At the African American Museum of Fair Park, you can explore an extensive and comprehensive permanent collection that ranges from inspiring Folk Art to centuries-old masterpieces and including African art, black renaissance paintings, decorative arts, period rooms, and contemporary art. You’ll also experience intelligent, cutting-edge exhibitions and programs that reflect a fresh view. For more information please visit them at: http://www.aamdallas.org
