Events › Learning from Gordon Parks

We’re celebrating the 111th birthday of the great African American author, photographer, and filmmaker Gordon Parks. Parks was well known for his documentation of American life and culture. Born in Fort Scott, Kansas, in 1912, he is one of the most esteemed image makers of all time. In this presentation, photographer Ann Dean discusses the impact and inspiration found in Parks’s books: The Learning Tree, A Choice of Weapons, and Half Past Autumn. These books help illustrate Parks’s mother’s teachings centered in love, dignity, and hard work, and provide a starting point to talk about his struggles, choices, and triumphs – all great life lessons for those searching to find their way in this complicated world.

Ann Dean is an artist and freelance photographer who teaches photography classes at the Lawrence Art Center.

“Learning from Gordon Parks” is part of Humanities Kansas's Speakers Bureau and “21st Century Civics,” a collection of resources that invite Kansans to participate in community discussions and learn more about the history of American democracy and the shared responsibilities of citizenship. “21st Century Civics” is made possible with support from “A More Perfect Union: America at 250,” an initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Questions? Ask Melissa: mfisherisaacs@lplks.org