ADGER COWAN’S INTIMATE CHRONICLE OF BLACK AMERICAN LIFE

Over the past 85 years, Adger Cowans has not only born witness to history — he has helped shape it. The first Black photographer admitted into the International Photographers and Motion Picture Union, Local 600, in 1969, Cowans was the on-set photographer for landmark films including Claudine, Eyes of Laura Mars, Gloria, Dirty Dancing, Boomerang, and Juice.

While breaking ground with his commercial work, Cowans simultaneously pursued his love of fine art. As a leading figure in the Black Arts Movement, Cowans is a founding member of two groundbreaking 1980s Black collectives, Kamoinge Workshop and AfriCOBRA — both of which have been overlooked by the art world until recent years.