Mason Fine Art in Atlanta is presenting "It Started in the 60s," an exhibition centered on the photography and collages of legendary multidisciplinary artist John Simmons. The show, which runs through an unspecified date, also features works by Robert 'Bobby' Sengstacke and Vivian Maier. Simmons, born in 1950 in segregated Chicago, began his career as a teenager with photographs published in The Chicago Defender. His iconic images, such as "Girl Eating Ice Cream, Chicago (1967)" and "Two Shoes (1969)," capture everyday Black life during the Civil Rights era without overt protest, instead revealing subtle narratives of racial inequality and human dignity. The exhibition includes both his black-and-white photography and colorful collages he began creating in 2020, which he describes as a way to merge different moments in history.
This exhibition matters because it bridges generations of African American photographers—from Sengstacke, whose family founded a historic Black newspaper, to Simmons and Maier—highlighting the enduring power of documentary photography in chronicling the struggle for Civil Rights. Simmons' work, which has been collected by institutions and private buyers, demonstrates how seemingly simple images can carry profound emotional and historical weight, as evidenced by a white businesswoman's tearful response to "Two Shoes." By presenting these artists together, Mason Fine Art underscores the continued relevance of visual storytelling in confronting America's racial past and present, making the exhibition both a historical survey and a timely commentary on ongoing social issues.