#kamoinge

[whatevergreen]

Olaifa and Egypt - C. Daniel Dawson, 1978 (Kamoinge Workshop)

[afrotumble]

Photo by Eli Reed of the Kamoinge Collective.

[standingatthefence]

Chester Higgins | Damani and Nataki flying airplanes, Alabama, 1981

[adeshua]

Shawn Walker, Easter Sunday, Harlem (125th Street), 1972

[grupaok]

Albert Fennar, Sphere, 1974

[systemmaguniverse]

How a Group of Black Photographers in Harlem Decided to Build Their Own Art Ecosystem

How a Group of Black Photographers in Harlem Decided to Build Their Own Art Ecosystem

Kamoinge was fused from two groups of Black photographers at a joint meeting in 1963. Among the inaugural members were Albert Fennar, Herb Randall, Shawn Walker, and Louis Draper, all working photographers who, as Draper himself put it, were “well acquainted with the barriers which prevented Black photographers a voice within the usual communication.” The goal was to produce their own portfolios…

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[brooklynmuseum]

Throughout the 1960s and 70s, Kamoinge artists such as Adger W. Cowans, Ming Smith, Herb Robinson, and Dawoud Bey captured the heartbeat of New York City, focusing on areas such as Harlem, Lower Manhattan, and Brooklyn. Capturing street shots of everyday life as well as activism and cultural hubs such as barber shops, homes, and cafes, it was important to portray a strong sense of community in the Black community and narrate its highs and lows.

Posted by Emoni Baraka

Adger W. Cowans. Shadows, New York, 1961. Silver gelatin print. Courtesy of the artist. © Adgar Cowens  

Ming Smith (Birthdate unavailable). When You See Me Comin' Raise Your Window High, 1972.  Gelatin Silver Print. Courtesy of Steven Kasher Gallery and the artist. © Ming Smith

Herb Robinson, The Girls, 1960s. Gelatin silver print on paper. Collection of the artist. © Herb Robinson

Dawoud Bey, Deas McNeil, the Barber, 1976, printed by 1979. Silver gelatin print. The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago. Restricted gift of Anita Blanchard M.D. and Martin Nesbitt. ©  Dawoud Bey. (Image Courtesy of Stephen Daiter Gallery)

[the-moon-is-a-harsh-mistress]

"I got your back." Two best friends declare their friendship and loyalty to each other for life. Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, 2007. - photo © by Russell K. Frederick

Russell K. Frederick is a member of the seminal African-American photographers’ collective Kamoinge, formed in 1963.

Kamoinge was named after the Kenyan Gikuyu word for “a group of people working together.”

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