Lucinda Bunnen: Georgia Portraits at the APC

Tommy Aaron , " Daddy King", Mayor Ivan Allen, Coach Bobby Dodd, 1978Robert W. Woodruff, in his office in Atlanta, 1977

The Atlanta Preservation Center’s Drawing Room Gallery will be the site of an important photography exhibit, Lucinda Bunnen: Georgia Portraits. This exhibit, curated by Constance Lewis and Jerry Cullum, presents portraits of Atlantans and others who have and continue to creatively shape or redefine the State’s political, art, and business landscapes. This exhibition is presented by the APC during Atlanta Celebrates Photography, a City-wide celebration of the photographic arts. 

Bunnen has been a part of and documenter of Atlanta’s culture for decades. Her formal portraits and snapshots capture intimate visual details of high-profile figures, each one as imaginative and expressive as her photographs. The exhibit includes both vintage and new prints from her continuing Movers and Shakers series. The subjects of the work include: Tommy Aaron, Ivan Allen, Bobby Dodd; Bill Arnett; Julian Bond; Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter; Lillian and Billy Carter; Anne Cox Chambers; Susan Cofer; Louis Corrigan; Jerry Cullum; Ed Dodd; Silvia Ferst; Cathy Fox; Coretta Scott King and Herman Russell; Lillian Lewis; Richard Long; Carl Ratciff; Michael Rooks; Lovette Russell; Philip Trammell Shutze; Celestine Sibley; Whitney Stansell; Elizabeth Turk; Ted Turner; Larry Walker; Hosea Williams; Robert Woodruff, Charlie and Jane Hurt Yarn.

Michael Rooks, at a contemporary art exhibit in Birmingham, Alabama, for an Atlanta group that he organized, 2013

The exhibit runs from October 18 – December 13, 2013. The opening reception will be Friday, October 18, 2013 from 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm. A panel discussion will be held on Saturday, October 26 from 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm.  The event’s conversations will be moderated by Randy Gue, the Curator of Modern Political and Historical Collections at Emory University’s Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library (MARBL). The panel will include the artist and curators. The aim of the event is to connect the influence of the artist and subjects with Atlanta’s past, present and future. Gallery hours are Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm or call 404-688-3353 ext. 11 for an appointment.

When asked to explain the intentions behind Lucinda Bunnen: Georgia Portraits, the exhibition, Constance Lewis’s co-curator Jerry Cullum observed, “Lucinda Bunnen’s photographs from the Movers and  Shakers in Georgia series are all too seldom appreciated for what they are—intrinsically interesting and beautifully printed images that would capture our attention regardless of knowledge of their subjects. This is why we’ve called this selection (from both the original 1977-78 and the new 2008-13 series) Georgia Portraits rather than Movers and Shakers—we want to place emphasis on the photographs themselves, even though all of the people represented are singular figures in the political, economic, and artistic life of the state of Georgia. Constance Lewis and I have chosen works that represent a diverse spectrum of memorable individuals, but we’ve also done our best to select truly memorable and aesthetically provocative photographs. Although many people will appreciate these photographs primarily for the insights they give into the people who appear in them, we want them to see that, in addition to being remarkable documents of contemporary Georgia history, these are remarkable works of art.”

Cullum added that the October 26 panel discussion at 3 pm will shed further light on the dual function of the photographs as documents and artworks.

Lillian Lewis, wife of Congressman John Lewis, at Otis Hammonds House, 1978

To support the exhibit and the work of the Atlanta Preservation Center, Ms. Bunnen has donated a print of her portrait of Philip Trammell Shutze, Atlanta’s renowned Classical architect. The framed, vintage silver gelatin print will be offered for auction from October 18 through November 21, 2013. The gallery is located at the APC’s headquarters, the  LP Grant Mansion, 327 St. Paul Ave SE, Atlanta Georgia 30312.

The mission of The Atlanta Preservation Center (APC) is to promote the preservation of Atlanta’s architecturally, historically and culturally significant buildings, neighborhoods and landscapes through education and advocacy. The APC is located in the 1856 Lemuel P. Grant Mansion which features a 680 square foot gallery in its Drawing Room. This gallery is host to exhibitions that underscore the Center’s mission. Its purpose is to demonstrate that the preserved environment and its history are a valuable and inspirational part of the present.

More details here.