Carver Museum Presents the First Career Retrospective of iconic photographer Jamel Shabazz: Peace to the Queen
About this event
Legendary photographer, humanitarian, and educator Jamel Shabazz will present his first career retrospective, Peace to the Queen at the Carver Museum. The exhibit spans four-decades of work by the artist and features portraits of women of color that are candid, artful, and often intimate. At a moment when Black and Brown women are more visibly leading the charge around movements for racial and economic justice—Peace to the Queen has materialized and aligned at a critical moment in American history and Jamel Shabazz’s resurgent career.
Peace to the Queen signals a major turning point for the City of Austin operated Carver Museum that has emerged as a formidable Black Arts institution in the Southwest region. Doctoral candidate at the University of Texas at Austin, Ja’nell Ajani is the lead curator of this groundbreaking collection of work by Jamel Shabazz. She is an alumna of Spelman College and has earned graduate degrees in African Studies and Studio Art/Photography from New York University.
The opening reception will take place from 6:30 - 9:00 pm on Thursday, February 24, 2022. Registration via Eventbrite is strongly encouraged, but not required.
Brooklyn native, Jamel Shabazz (b.1960) picked up his first camera at the age of 15 and began to document his peers. Inspired by photographers Leonard Freed, James Van Der Zee, Gordon Parks, and their compelling documentation of Black culture— he sought to build on the legacy of their work. Using the public spaces of New York City as his backdrop, Shabazz embarked on a journey to document and affirm the dignity of communities devastated by Reaganomics, the War on Drugs, and the continued criminalization of poor people. From this work, a hallmark style emerged along with some of his most iconic photographs.
Today, Jamel Shabazz’s work extends far beyond the public streets, parks, and subways of New York City and includes a robust portfolio of commercial, fashion, documentary, and fine art photography that has been exhibited around the world.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/jamel-shabazz-peace-to-the-queen-exhibit-opening-tickets-241463743557