Jackson Fine Art in Atlanta is hosting "Gordon Parks: The South in Colour," a major exhibition curated by photographer Dawoud Bey. The show features over 30 works from Parks’ seminal 1956 "Segregation Story" series, including several previously unshown images of the Thornton, Causey, and Tanner families in Alabama. The exhibition coincides with the 70th anniversary of the series' original publication in Life magazine and the 20th anniversary of The Gordon Parks Foundation.
This exhibition highlights Parks’ pioneering use of color photography and a handheld Rolleiflex camera to document the quiet dignity of Black life under the oppressive Jim Crow laws. By focusing on the intimate, domestic realities of segregation rather than just its overt violence, Parks created a humanizing counter-narrative to mid-century prejudice. The showcase underscores his enduring legacy as a multidisciplinary artist who used visual storytelling to advocate for social justice and civil rights.