Jim Alexander (photographer) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jim Alexander
Born	(1935-08-07) August 7, 1935 (age 89) Waldwick, New Jersey, U.S.
Years active	1950s–present
Known for	Photography

Jim Alexander, born on August 7, 1935, is a famous American photographer, journalist, and teacher. He is well-known for his "Participant Observer" style of photography. This means he takes pictures while being part of the events he photographs. Jim Alexander's work often shows important moments in human rights and African American culture. In 1995, he was honored as the first "Master Artist" by the City of Atlanta. Later, in 2006, he was added to The HistoryMakers, a collection of interviews with important African Americans.

Jim Alexander's Early Life

Jim Alexander was born James Alexander on August 7, 1935. He grew up in Waldwick, New Jersey, as one of 12 children. His father, David Alexander, was an auto mechanic, and his mother was Frances James Alexander. He went to Waldwick Public School and Ramsey High School. Jim grew up at a time when it was hard for Black people in America to get ahead financially.

Jim Alexander's Photography Career

How Jim Alexander Started Photography

In 1952, when he was 17, Jim Alexander joined the U.S. Navy. While in Navy boot camp, something special happened. Jim won his first camera, a Kodak "Brownie Hawkeye," in a friendly dice game. He immediately started using his new camera. He sold photos to other sailors for fifty cents each.

After boot camp, he moved to Charleston, S.C.. There, he began training to be a diesel engineman. While in Charleston, he asked the naval base photographer to look at his pictures. The photographer then taught him about different types of photography, like 35mm and large format photography. After leaving the Navy in 1956, Jim stopped photography for a few years. He managed a pool hall and cleaned cars. He lived above the pool hall in a room that cost $9 a week. He called this time his "street time."

In 1964, Jim moved to Ridgewood, New Jersey. He then started his professional career as a freelance photographer. He took business courses at Rutgers University and worked as a general manager for a newspaper delivery service. He also studied at the New York Institute of Photography (NYIP). In 1968, he earned a degree in commercial photography. He later became one of NYIP's famous alumni.

During the important human rights movement, Jim Alexander began taking pictures of anti-war and civil rights events. He also documented how people reacted to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s death in 1968. His photos showed marches, rallies, meetings, festivals, and concerts. They also captured everyday Black life. He named this collection of work Spirits/Martyrs/Heroes. He continued to add photos to it over many years. The collection covers subjects from the 1960s to today. It includes human and civil rights, politics, music, art, and people who worked for equality.

On a bus trip from Ridgewood, New Jersey to New York, Jim met Eric Maristany. They both had cameras, which started a conversation. Eric worked at a company in Ridgewood that made filmstrips. He invited Jim to visit the studio. A few days later, Jim visited and met Richard Bruner, the owner of Bruner Productions. This company made educational and civil rights movement filmstrips. Jim became a volunteer at the studio and later started freelancing there.

Capturing Music Icons

Jim Alexander is also known for his photos of Black-inspired music, especially jazz and blues. He noticed that many events he photographed started with music. He began to understand how important music was to the African American community. He realized how important musicians were. Jim said, "I am just a lover of music. There was a lot going on in the '50s and '60s, in New Jersey, where all the little clubs or corner bars had a trio or quartet playing. I was really listening to the music." He decided to include Black music in his work. In 1988, Jim created his own exhibit called Blues Legacy. It was for the first National Black Arts Festival.

That same year, he created another exhibit called Duke and Other Legends: Jazz Photographs by Jim Alexander. This exhibit showed 50 famous jazz musicians. It toured 13 southern cities with help from the National Endowment for the Arts. African American culture shows amazing strength and creativity through music, art, and writing. Jazz music is a great example of this beauty. Jim Alexander's photos show both the difficulties caused by hatred and the strong spirit of those who fought against it. He has spent years photographing jazz musicians like Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, and Count Basie.

Learning from Gordon Parks

Jim Alexander met and became friends with famous documentary photographer Gordon Parks in 1968. Parks greatly influenced Jim's photography career. Parks taught him that "A photo can be taken to build, or it can be taken to destroy, and that decision rests in the hands of the photographer." Jim realized how his photos could make people more aware of important issues.

Jim decided to spend ten years of his life photographing human rights and the Black experience. He shared this idea with Gordon Parks. Parks suggested that Jim also teach others about photography while continuing his documentary work. Parks told him, "That sounds better." More than fifty years have passed since that talk with Gordon Parks, and Jim Alexander still continues his important documentary work.

Jim believes that every photo carries a deep message for the viewer. His photos show the style of a "participant observer." Jim explains that a participant observer knows their presence affects the scene. But they still try to act like a spectator, just watching. Jim Alexander's pictures help bring attention to serious human rights issues in the United States over many decades.

Jim Alexander as an Educator

Jim Alexander has taught and guided many students in photography. He has worked at places like Yale University, Emory University, Spelman College, Clark College (now Clark Atlanta University), Morris Brown College, and Atlanta Metropolitan College.

In 1970, Jim worked as a consultant and photography teacher for Yale University's Black Environmental Studies Team (B.E.S.T). He also led a community arts organization from 1972 to 1976.

Atlanta became home for Jim and his family in 1976. He took a job as the director of audiovisual communications for the Atlanta Office of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives. This group helped Black family farmers in the South keep and expand their land.

At Clark College (now Clark Atlanta University), Jim was the Photographer-in-Residence from 1984 to 1990. During this time, he created a mentoring program. He helped students who worked on the campus newspaper, yearbook, and various photography projects. He also documented important meetings and events leading up to the merger of Atlanta University and Clark College.

The Neighborhood Arts Center (NAC) started in 1975. It became a key place for Atlanta's Black Arts Movement. In 1977, Jim Alexander became the photographer in residence at The NAC. He worked hard to keep the center's historical values alive. In 1978, Jim documented a special visit to the NAC by Romare Bearden, a famous artist, and his wife Nanette Bearden.

Jim strongly believes in "art for people's sake." In 1972, he started an organization called Freedom Arts Communications Team (F.A.C.T. INC.). F.A.C.T. was a group of artists, musicians, poets, and community helpers. They created a visiting artist program for young people and adults in New Haven, CT. They did this by holding a community arts festival and working with schools and the Police Athletic League.

From 1996 to 1999, Jim Alexander was a coordinator and teacher for a youth photography program. It was called "As Seen by Teens." This summer program taught young students about photography and journalism. It helped them feel better about themselves and their communities. The program encouraged creativity and taught students self-respect and how to reach goals.

From 1998 to 2000, Jim was the director of the Arts for All gallery. This organization provided art education and cultural opportunities for people in Georgia with disabilities.

First World Bookstore

Jim Alexander loves education, reading, and Black culture. This led him to help start First World Bookstores in Atlanta, GA, in 1988. The store focused on African American books, gifts, and art. It grew to five bookstores in the Atlanta area by 1994.

Jim-Alex Studio Gallery

In 1971, while in New Haven, CT, Jim Alexander opened his own photo studio, Jim-Alex Studio Gallery. He showed his own work and the work of other photographers. The studio became a meeting place for artists and activists. Community meetings were often held there. The Connecticut Black Media Coalition was even started at his studio. Jim jokes, "Everything happened in my studio but photography."

Organizations Jim Alexander Belongs To

Jim Alexander has helped start several groups for professional photographers. These include the Photographers' Collective, the Atlanta Photographers Group, and Zone Three. He is also a founding member and former leader of the National Black Media Coalition. He served two terms as president of African Americans for the Arts (AAFTA). Jim is also a member of the American Photography Archives Group (APAG). This group helps people who own or manage private photography collections. Jim also belongs to the National Alliance of Artists from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (NAAHBU). This group was founded in 2000 at Morris Brown College in Atlanta, Georgia. It features artists who have taught or studied art at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

Selected Shows and Exhibits

• 2018: Live the Legacy Series Installation #1, The National Center for Civil and Human Rights, Atlanta, GA. Solo Show
• 2018: The Spiritual Beauty & Resilience in America, National Center for the Study of Civil Rights and African-American Culture, Montgomery, AL. Group Show
• 2017: The Spiritual Beauty & Resilience in America, Warren-Britt Gallery, Alabama State University, Montgomery, AL. Group Show
• 2017: Jim Alexander: Preserving the Legacy, Chace Upper Gallery, Emory University, Atlanta, GA. Solo Show
• 2017: Soulful Images by Jim Alexander, APEX Museum, Atlanta, GA. Solo Show
• 2017: The Atlanta Jazz Festival in Photographs, Arnika Dawkins Gallery, Atlanta, GA. Group Show
• 2017: Atlanta Jazz Festival: Forty Years, Chastain Art Gallery. Atlanta, GA. Group Show
• 2016: Jim Alexander: Participant Observer, Tubman African American Museum, Macon, GA. Solo Show
• 2015: On Being Black, Arnika Dawkins Gallery. Atlanta, GA. Group Show
• 2014: Romare at the NAC, Fulton County Arts and Culture Southwest Arts Center, Atlanta, GA. Solo Show
• 2014: Southern Connections: Bearden in Atlanta, Emory University's Michael C. Carlos Museum. Atlanta, GA. Invitational
• 2013: Congo Square to Symphony Hall, Lamar Dodd Art Center. Lagrange, GA. Solo Show
• 2012: The Quest for Black Citizenship in the Americas, Gallery of Art, Bowie State University, Bowie, MD. Group Show
• 2012: In the Tradition, Buckhead Library, Atlanta, GA. Solo Show
• 2011: Black Music After 1968: The Photography of Jim Alexander, Harvey B. Gantt Center, Charlotte, NC. Solo Show
• 2009: Blues Roots and Branches, Central Library Art Gallery, Atlanta, GA. Solo Show
• 2009: Faces in the Arts: Through the Lens of Jim Alexander, Southwest Arts Center Performance Theater and Gallery, Atlanta, GA. Solo Show
• 2009: Jazz Photography by Jim Alexander, Hayti Heritage Center, Durham, NC. Solo Show
• 2008: Classic Jazz: Photos by Jim Alexander, The Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Toronto, Ontario Canada. Solo Show
• 2008: Peace, Unity North Atlanta Church. Atlanta, GA. Solo Show
• 2008: The Masters Series Reunion, City Gallery East, Atlanta, GA. Group Show
• 2007: Spirits / Martyrs / Heroes, Broadway & LRC Galleries. Passaic County Community College, Paterson, NJ. Solo Show
• 2006: Jazz, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Atlanta, GA. Solo Show
• 2005: A Century of African-American Art: Selections from The Paul R. Jones Collection, Museum of Fine Art, Spelman College, Atlanta, GA. Group Show
• 2005: Jim Alexander: Photographer, Hammond's House Galleries, Atlanta, GA. Solo Retrospective Show
• 2005: Return to the Source, Benjamin and Jeanette Cox Gallery, Avery Research Center. Charleston, SC. Solo Show
• 2004: Jim Alexander Photographs From the Darlene and Herbert Charles Collection, African-American Hall of Fame, Morehouse College. Atlanta, GA. Solo Show
• 2003: Enduring Legacy: Photographs by Jim Alexander, Schatten Gallery, Emory University. Atlanta, GA. Solo Show
• 2002: Jim Alexander: Photographer, Atlanta History Center. Atlanta, GA. Solo Show
• 2000: Still Here: Swinging, Jazz Photographs by Jim Alexander, NBAF 2000, Virginia Lacy Jones Exhibition Hall. Atlanta University Center, Atlanta, GA. Solo Show
• 1999: An All Ellington Evening, Birmingham Museum of Art. Birmingham, AL. Solo Show
• 1993 – 1996: Beyond Category: The Musical Genius of Duke Ellington, National Museum of American History. Washington, D. C. Three-Year National Tour, Invitational
• 1995: Jim Alexander: Telling Our Story, City Gallery East. Atlanta, GA. Inaugural Atlanta Masters Exhibit. Solo Show (Atlanta Olympics)
• 1990: Art is Jazz / Jazz is Art, Museum of African American Art. Los Angeles, CA. Invitational
• 1988 – 1989: Duke and Other Legends: Jazz Photographs by Jim Alexander, Exhibit Toured Museums and Galleries in Ten Southern States. Solo Show
• 1988: Blues Legacy, Apex Museum. Atlanta, GA. Solo Show
• 1986: Atlanta Artists, Lunds Kunsthall Sweden. Lund, Sweden. Group Show

Collections of Jim Alexander's Work

Jim Alexander's photographs are kept in many important collections, including:

• Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC
• Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library Emory University, Atlanta, GA
• Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia (MOCA GA) Collection, Atlanta, GA
• Paul R. Jones Collections University of Alabama & University of Delaware
• Atlanta University Center Collection, Atlanta, GA
• Harvey B. Gantt Center Collection, Atlanta, GA
• Auburn Avenue Research Library, Atlanta, GA
• Yale University, New Haven, CT
• Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport Art Collection, Atlanta, GA
• Clark Atlanta University Collection, Atlanta, GA
• Maynard Jackson, Atlanta, GA
• Charleston Jazz Initiative Archives, Charleston, SC
• Hammonds House Museum, Atlanta, GA
• City of Atlanta Art Collection, Atlanta, GA
• Fulton County Arts Collection, Atlanta, GA
• Bunnie Jackson-Ransom, Atlanta, GA
• Calvin W. McLarin, MD, Atlanta, GA
• Clark Atlanta University Collection, Atlanta, GA
• Maynard Jackson, Atlanta, GA
• Metro Atlanta Cardiology Consultants, Atlanta, GA
• Southwest Dialysis Clinic, Atlanta, GA
• William Cleveland, MD, Atlanta, GA