Roland Freeman: Difference between revisions
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'''Roland L. Freeman''' (born July 27, 1936) is a photographer and award-winning documenter of Southern folk culture and [[African-American]] quilters. He is the president of The Group for Cultural Documentation based in Washington, D.C. |
'''Roland L. Freeman''' (born July 27, 1936) is a [[photographer]] and award-winning documenter of [[Southern United States|Southern]] [[Folklore|folk culture]] and [[African-American]] [[Quilting|quilters]]. He is the president of [http://www.tgcd.org/ The Group for Cultural Documentation] based in [[Washington, D.C.]] |
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==Early life== |
==Early life== |
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Roland Freeman was born in [[Baltimore, Maryland]]. As a youth, his future life’s work was inspired when he discovered [[the Depression]]-era photography of [[Gordon Parks]] and [[Roy DeCarava]], which focused on raising social consciousness, as well as the work of [[Farm Security Administration]] photographers. When Freeman was 14, he met author and folklorist [[Zora Neale Hurston]], who would also be a great influence on his subsequent career. |
Roland Freeman was born in [[Baltimore, Maryland]]. As a youth, his future life’s work was inspired when he discovered [[the Depression]]-era photography of [[Gordon Parks]] and [[Roy DeCarava]], which focused on raising social consciousness, as well as the work of [[Farm Security Administration]] photographers. When Freeman was 14, he met author and folklorist [[Zora Neale Hurston]], who would also be a great influence on his subsequent career. |
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Freeman served in the US Air Force from 1954 to 1958.<ref>St. James Guide to Black Artists, Roland’s profile, p. 201.</ref> He began taking photographs in the DC area in 1963, inspired by the [[March on Washington]].<ref>[http://www.arts.gov/honors/heritage/fellows/fellow.php?id=2007_04&type=int National Endowment for the Arts: National Heritage Fellowships.]</ref> |
Freeman served in the [[United States Air Force|US Air Force]] from 1954 to 1958.<ref>St. James Guide to Black Artists, Roland’s profile, p. 201.</ref> He began taking photographs in the DC area in 1963, inspired by the [[March on Washington]].<ref>[http://www.arts.gov/honors/heritage/fellows/fellow.php?id=2007_04&type=int National Endowment for the Arts: National Heritage Fellowships.]</ref> |
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In 1968, he not only participated in but also documented the [[Poor People's Campaign]] and the Mule Train<ref>[http://asunews.astate.edu/InsideASU040710.htm Photographer Roland Freeman is keynote speaker April 9.] Arkansas State University, retrieved April 7, 2010.</ref> trip from [[Marks, Mississippi]], to the nation's capital.<ref>[http://www.arts.gov/honors/heritage/fellows/fellow.php?id=2007_04&type=int National Endowment for the Arts: National Heritage Fellowships.]</ref> |
In 1968, he not only participated in but also documented the [[Poor People's Campaign]] and [http://mississippistories.org/story/a-story-of-the-poor-peoples-campaign-mule-train/ the Mule Train]<ref>[http://asunews.astate.edu/InsideASU040710.htm Photographer Roland Freeman is keynote speaker April 9.] Arkansas State University, retrieved April 7, 2010.</ref> trip from [[Marks, Mississippi]], to the nation's capital.<ref>[http://www.arts.gov/honors/heritage/fellows/fellow.php?id=2007_04&type=int National Endowment for the Arts: National Heritage Fellowships.]</ref> |
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He worked as a stringer for ''[[Time magazine|Time]]'' and [[Magnum Photos]], including coverage as a [[White House]] photographer. In 1997, Freeman was named the [[Eudora Welty]] Visiting Professor of Southern Studies at [[Millsaps College]] (Jackson, MS). |
He worked as a stringer for ''[[Time magazine|Time]]'' and [[Magnum Photos]], including coverage as a [[White House]] photographer. In 1997, Freeman was named the [[Eudora Welty]] Visiting Professor of [[Southern Studios|Southern Studies]] at [[Millsaps College]] ([[Jackson, Mississippi|Jackson, MS]]). |
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==Career as photodocumentarian== |
==Career as photodocumentarian== |
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===“While There is Still Time”=== |
===“While There is Still Time”=== |
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Freeman has for years been working on a self-assigned project "While There Is Still Time," a study of Black culture throughout the [[African Diaspora]]. He uses the camera as a tool to research, document and interpret the continuity of traditional African-American folklife practices. This work is generally done in close collaboration with folklorists, historians, sociologists and community activists, often in methodologically innovative ways that have been integral to his contributions to the work of photographers of his generation.<ref>[http://www.tgcd.org/tgcd.cfm?a=rf Roland Freeman] The Group for Cultural Documentation.</ref> |
Freeman has for years been working on a self-assigned project "While There Is Still Time," a study of Black culture throughout the [[African Diaspora]]. He uses the camera as a tool to research, document and interpret the continuity of traditional African-American folklife practices. This work is generally done in close collaboration with folklorists, historians, [[Sociology|sociologists]] and [[Activism|community activists]], often in methodologically innovative ways that have been integral to his contributions to the work of photographers of his generation.<ref>[http://www.tgcd.org/tgcd.cfm?a=rf Roland Freeman] The Group for Cultural Documentation.</ref> |
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==Influence on American quilt history== |
==Influence on American quilt history== |
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Freeman has spent more than 20 years photographing African-American quilters and guilds. He collected biographic information about the quilters’ lives and their motivations for quiltmaking. He also documented collectors of African-American-made quilts. |
Freeman has spent more than 20 years photographing African-American quilters and guilds. He collected biographic information about the quilters’ lives and their motivations for quiltmaking. He also documented collectors of African-American-made quilts. |
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''A Communion of the Spirits'' was a landmark American quilt history book, as no one else prior to Freeman had performed a national survey of Black quilters. The book covers 38 states and the District of Columbia. Quilt guilds documented in ''A Communion of the Spirits'' include: The African American Quilters of Baltimore, the Freedom Quilting Bee of Alberta, AL, the African American Quilters of Los Angeles, and more. Quilt collectors included [[Nikki Giovanni]], [[Maya Angelou]], and Beverly Guy-Sheftall. |
''A Communion of the Spirits'' was a landmark American quilt history book, as no one else prior to Freeman had performed a national survey of Black quilters. The book covers 38 states and the District of Columbia. Quilt guilds documented in ''A Communion of the Spirits'' include: The African American Quilters of Baltimore, the [[Freedom Quilting Bee]] of Alberta, AL, the African American Quilters of Los Angeles, and more. Quilt collectors included [[Nikki Giovanni]], [[Maya Angelou]], and [[Beverly Guy-Sheftall]]. |
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An exhibit of Freeman's quilt photographs are on permanent collection at the Smith Robertson Museum in Jackson, MS. In 2008, he organized a quilt exhibition to celebrate President Obama.<ref>[http://www.gwu.edu/~action/2008/photos09/quiltsphoto.html Beltway Happenings] George Washington University, retrieved January 21, 2009.</ref><ref>[http://www.gwu.edu/~action/2008/chrninau08/quiltsforobama.html Quilts for Obama] George Washington University, retrieved January 11, 2009.</ref> |
An exhibit of Freeman's quilt photographs are on permanent collection at the Smith Robertson Museum in [[Jackson, Mississippi|Jackson, MS]]. In 2008, he organized a quilt exhibition to celebrate [[Barack Obama|President Obama]].<ref>[http://www.gwu.edu/~action/2008/photos09/quiltsphoto.html Beltway Happenings] George Washington University, retrieved January 21, 2009.</ref><ref>[http://www.gwu.edu/~action/2008/chrninau08/quiltsforobama.html Quilts for Obama] George Washington University, retrieved January 11, 2009.</ref> |
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==Books == |
==Books == |
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==Exhibition catalogs== |
==Exhibition catalogs== |
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* ''Some Thing of Value: Images of African and African-American Folklife'', The Apex Museum, 1992 |
* ''Some Thing of Value: Images of African and African-American Folklife'', [[APEX Museum|The Apex Museum]], 1992 |
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* ''Something to Keep You Warm'', Mississippi State Historical Museum catalog, 1981 |
* ''Something to Keep You Warm'', Mississippi State Historical Museum catalog, 1981 |
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==Awards and honors== |
==Awards and honors== |
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In 1970, Freeman became the first photographer to be awarded a Young Humanist Fellowship by the [[National Endowment for the Humanities]]. He has received two Masters of Photography Visual Arts Fellowships from the [[National Endowment for the Arts]], one in 1982 and another in 1991. He received the Living Legend Award for Distinguished Achievement in Photography from the [[National Black Arts Festival]] in 1994. In 1997, he received an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from [[Millsaps College]]. He is a recipient of a 2007 [[National Heritage Fellowship]] awarded by the NEA, which is the United States' highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.arts.gov/honors/heritage/year/2007 |title=NEA National Heritage Fellowships 2007 |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=www.arts.gov |publisher=National Endowment for the Arts |access-date=19 October 2017}}</ref> |
In 1970, Freeman became the first photographer to be awarded a Young Humanist Fellowship by the [[National Endowment for the Humanities]]. He has received two Masters of Photography Visual Arts Fellowships from the [[National Endowment for the Arts]], one in 1982 and another in 1991. He received the Living Legend Award for Distinguished Achievement in Photography from the [[National Black Arts Festival]] in 1994. In 1997, he received an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from [[Millsaps College]]. He is a recipient of a 2007 [[National Heritage Fellowship]] awarded by the [[National Endowment for the Arts|NEA]], which is the United States' highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.arts.gov/honors/heritage/year/2007 |title=NEA National Heritage Fellowships 2007 |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=www.arts.gov |publisher=National Endowment for the Arts |access-date=19 October 2017}}</ref> |
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==Bibliography== |
==Bibliography== |
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''St. James Guide to Black Artists'', Thomas Riggs and Schomburg Center for Research in Black |
''St. James Guide to Black Artists'', Thomas Riggs and [[Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture]], pages 201 – 202. |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Revision as of 03:17, 26 February 2018
Roland L. Freeman | |
|---|---|
| Born | 27 July 1936 Baltimore, Maryland |
| Occupation(s) | Photographer, quilter |
| Website | http://www.tgcd.org/ |
Roland L. Freeman (born July 27, 1936) is a photographer and award-winning documenter of Southern folk culture and African-American quilters. He is the president of The Group for Cultural Documentation based in Washington, D.C.
Early life
Roland Freeman was born in Baltimore, Maryland. As a youth, his future life’s work was inspired when he discovered the Depression-era photography of Gordon Parks and Roy DeCarava, which focused on raising social consciousness, as well as the work of Farm Security Administration photographers. When Freeman was 14, he met author and folklorist Zora Neale Hurston, who would also be a great influence on his subsequent career.
Freeman served in the US Air Force from 1954 to 1958.[1] He began taking photographs in the DC area in 1963, inspired by the March on Washington.[2]
In 1968, he not only participated in but also documented the Poor People's Campaign and the Mule Train[3] trip from Marks, Mississippi, to the nation's capital.[4]
He worked as a stringer for Time and Magnum Photos, including coverage as a White House photographer. In 1997, Freeman was named the Eudora Welty Visiting Professor of Southern Studies at Millsaps College (Jackson, MS).
Career as photodocumentarian
In 1970, he co-directed the Mississippi FolkLife Project for the Smithsonian Institution's Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. In 1972, he became a research associate there.
In that capacity, Freeman photographed staff at the White House, including Mrs. Lillian Rogers Parks, who worked there for 30 years. Several of Freeman’s photographs of African Americans at the White House are included in “The Working White House” webpage.[5][6]
“While There is Still Time”
Freeman has for years been working on a self-assigned project "While There Is Still Time," a study of Black culture throughout the African Diaspora. He uses the camera as a tool to research, document and interpret the continuity of traditional African-American folklife practices. This work is generally done in close collaboration with folklorists, historians, sociologists and community activists, often in methodologically innovative ways that have been integral to his contributions to the work of photographers of his generation.[7]
Influence on American quilt history
Freeman has spent more than 20 years photographing African-American quilters and guilds. He collected biographic information about the quilters’ lives and their motivations for quiltmaking. He also documented collectors of African-American-made quilts.
A Communion of the Spirits was a landmark American quilt history book, as no one else prior to Freeman had performed a national survey of Black quilters. The book covers 38 states and the District of Columbia. Quilt guilds documented in A Communion of the Spirits include: The African American Quilters of Baltimore, the Freedom Quilting Bee of Alberta, AL, the African American Quilters of Los Angeles, and more. Quilt collectors included Nikki Giovanni, Maya Angelou, and Beverly Guy-Sheftall.
An exhibit of Freeman's quilt photographs are on permanent collection at the Smith Robertson Museum in Jackson, MS. In 2008, he organized a quilt exhibition to celebrate President Obama.[8][9]
Books
- A Communion of the Spirits: African-American Quilters, Preservers, and Their Stories (1996). Foreword by Cuesta Benberry.
- The Mule Train: A Journey of Hope Remembered (1998)
- Margaret Walker's "For My People": A Tribute (1992)
- The Arabbers of Baltimore (1989)
- Southern Roads/City Pavements: Photographs of Black Americans (1981)
Exhibition catalogs
- Some Thing of Value: Images of African and African-American Folklife, The Apex Museum, 1992
- Something to Keep You Warm, Mississippi State Historical Museum catalog, 1981
Awards and honors
In 1970, Freeman became the first photographer to be awarded a Young Humanist Fellowship by the National Endowment for the Humanities. He has received two Masters of Photography Visual Arts Fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, one in 1982 and another in 1991. He received the Living Legend Award for Distinguished Achievement in Photography from the National Black Arts Festival in 1994. In 1997, he received an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from Millsaps College. He is a recipient of a 2007 National Heritage Fellowship awarded by the NEA, which is the United States' highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.[10]
Bibliography
St. James Guide to Black Artists, Thomas Riggs and Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, pages 201 – 202.
References
- ^ St. James Guide to Black Artists, Roland’s profile, p. 201.
- ^ National Endowment for the Arts: National Heritage Fellowships.
- ^ Photographer Roland Freeman is keynote speaker April 9. Arkansas State University, retrieved April 7, 2010.
- ^ National Endowment for the Arts: National Heritage Fellowships.
- ^ A Working Family White House History website
- ^ White House Working Family Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service
- ^ Roland Freeman The Group for Cultural Documentation.
- ^ Beltway Happenings George Washington University, retrieved January 21, 2009.
- ^ Quilts for Obama George Washington University, retrieved January 11, 2009.
- ^ "NEA National Heritage Fellowships 2007". www.arts.gov. National Endowment for the Arts. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
External links
- African American Quilters of Baltimore
- The Group for Cultural Documentation
- African American Visual Artists Database: Roland L. Freeman
- World Catalog: Works by or about Roland L. Freeman
- Black Threads Blog: Roland Freeman
- Arts.Gov Roland Freeman biography
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