NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The College of New Rochelle Castle Gallery presents selections from the College’s collection of the works of noted photographer Gordon Parks and his daughter Toni Parks. The exhibit, which will run from Saturday February 20 through Sunday, June 12, honors Black History Month and Women’s History Month. The joint exhibit touches on issues that Gordon and Toni Parks address in their black and white, and color prints, which collectively span over fifty years. The photographs are selected from the permanent collection of prints donated by Gordon Parks and Toni Parks to the College in 1991.
Writer, filmmaker, activist, Gordon Parks (1912-2006), began his life in Fort Scott, Kansas, traveled the United States and Europe, broke racial barriers and created a diverse body of commercial and personal work. One of the first African-American photographers to work for Life and Vogue magazines, he ultimately co-founded Essence magazine. A versatile artist, he was one of the first African-Americans to direct a Hollywood film (his work includes The Learning Tree, Shaft, and Leadbelly), and also composed pieces of instrumental music including several film scores. Other firsts for an African-American include the first to work for the Farm Security Administration and the first to work for the Office of War and Information. Parks indulged his daughter Toni Parks with music lessons, weekend museum visits, and discussed life and relationships with her in his White Plains darkroom.
Toni Parks, (1940-2015) born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, grew up in White Plains, New York and Europe, where she travelled with her family for her father’s work. After dabbling in singing and acting, Toni Parks began her serious venture with photography in Spain in 1984. Her professional career as a visual artist began in 1990 with photographs she took during the filming of Gordon Parks’ ballet Martin. Over the past two decades, Toni exhibited in several notable venues throughout the United States, including the Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX; Irving Art Center, Irving , TX; Brooklyn Museum of Art, Brooklyn, NY; Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, NY; the United Nations, New York, NY.
The exhibit will be on view at Castle Gallery on the campus of The College of New Rochelle at 29 Castle Place, New Rochelle, NY. Hours: Tuesday – Friday from 11 am to 4 pm, Saturday and Sunday from 12 to 4 pm. For further information please email us
