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Film Discussion: "Through a Lens Darkly - Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People"

by Chimpanzee Productions, Inc.

“When you look in a mirror, who do you see?” The first documentary to explore the role of photography in shaping the identity, aspirations and social emergence of African Americans from slavery to present, "Through a Lens Darkly - Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People" probes the recesses of American history through images that have been suppressed, forgotten or lost.

Guests:

The film’s director, Thomas Allen Harris and professional photographer and educator, Bill Gaskins, come together for a discussion of the film with the Library community.

Thomas Allen Harris, the film’s director, is Senior Lecturer in African American Studies and Film and Media Studies at Yale University. He launched the Family Pictures Institute for Inclusive Storytelling to spread the work he has been engaged in for the past ten years.  His work illuminates the human condition and the search for identity, family, and spirituality.  He is a graduate of Harvard College and the Whitney Independent Study Program, and member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.

Bill Gaskins is an acclaimed artist and longtime educator and the founding director of The Graduate Program in Photography + Media & Society at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. His work is based on a professional and academic foundation informed by the history of photography, art, visual and media culture, and American and African American Studies scholarship.  His work explores the intersection of black hair and a critical analysis of portraiture in the 21st century.

View film on Kanopy, the Library's online streaming service:  https://ww1.pgcmls.info/online-resources

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-Ch0Ljp9Os

@BillGaskins @billgaaskins

@ThomasAHarris @thomas_allen_harris