Charles "Teenie" Harris at the Carnegie til Nov 1st

(Photo from Carnegie Museum of Art website)

If you have even a passing interest in photography, don't miss this exhibit . Pathos, humor,beauty, composition. It is all there. Pittsburgher Charles Teenie Harris has become more and more famous in recent years: There is a book of his work titled "One Shot" , a contemporary dance piece by Ronald K. Brown/Evidence that won rave reviews from the New York Times, and an ongoing series of exhibits at the Carnegie. The Carnegie owns most (or all?) of the late Mr. Harris's negatives and is archiving them and identifying those in the iamges as best they can.

I loved this exhibit, which literally led me to tear up. I actually haven't yet looked at the accompanying photos by Pittsburgh area children, but will on my next visit.

Here is the write up from the CMOA website about the exhibit:

"Documenting Our Past: The Teenie Harris Archive Project, Part Three
Through November 1
Forum Gallery

In honor of the 101st birthday of the great chronicler of African American life in Pittsburgh, this exhibition pairs classic photographs by Charles “Teenie” Harris with prize-winning snapshots by children living in Pittsburgh neighborhoods today. Following in the footsteps of the legendary Teenie Harris, these local children have photographed the meaningful people, places, and things in their lives. In keeping with the theme of a child’s vision of Pittsburgh, the Teenie Harris images are selected by his son Charles A. Harris, including scenes of his own childhood. The children’s work is sponsored by the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh and the citywide “Gathering of Peace” antiviolence initiative.

Vintage prints and negatives in the Teenie Harris Archive were acquired with funds provided by the Heinz Family Fund, the Second Century Acquisition Fund, Milton and Nancy Washington, and by gift of the artist and the Harris Estate. General support for museum programs is provided by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, The Heinz Endowments, and Allegheny County Regional Asset District. Cataloging and scanning of the Teenie Harris Archive is supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities grant for Preserving and Creating Access to Humanities Collections. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this exhibition do not necessarily reflect those of the National Endowment for the Humanities."

For the NY Times Review of Ronald K. Brown/Evidence piece "One Shot" see here:

(Note this work was performed in Pittsburgh this past April).