Exhibition Review: Wayne Miller and Marvin Newman
The history of socioeconomic disparity and the victimization of ethnic groups in America has always been a popular subject for media exposition. For Chicago in particular is an historical event that’s especially popular for exposition: the Great Migration. Essentially considered an ethnic exodus during the early to late 1900s, the Great Migration involved African Americans making the trek from the rural South to the urban North (Chicago in this case) in hopes of economic prosperity. The migration, however, was not met with warm receive. Though the government claimed to have prohibited racial discrimination in the job market, the prevalence of established racial prejudices and stereotypes relegated hopeful African Americans to blue-collar jobs, and thus gave rise to and the continuation of long-lasting socioeconomic disparity. It is with full awareness of this dilemma that led to the birth of the co-ed exhibition of the documentary photographers Wayne Miller and Marvin Newman’s respective series, The Way of the Life of the Northern Negro and Chicago: The Black Migration North. However, as opposed to approaching the subject with the typical intention to capture the then-hardships of the African American community, they took a more sentimental approach that was nevertheless impactful. Along the walls of Keith de Lellis Gallery stand the visual representation of the two photographers’ goals.
Courtesy of Keith de Lellis Gallery, 2019
Upon first entering the gallery, viewers are greeted with the sight of a small room and an intimate atmosphere. From children playing ball and a couple sharing physical intimacy, to club-goers enjoying a night-out and impromptu fashion shoots on the streets, Miller and Newman display the ordinary, even fun events in the every-day lives of people who were amidst hard times. Consequently, it is through these candid photos that viewers are invited into the subjects’ worlds.
Wayne Miller, Untitled, Chicago, 1946–1947
Wayne Miller, Afternoon Game at Table 2, Chicago, 1947
Marvin E. Newman, Chicago, 1950
In observance of the fact that the premise of Miller and Newman’s series is about the historical challenges of African Americans, it comes as a surprise that the photographers chose to depict joyful moments of their subjects rather than what was concurrent. While an initial reaction to these images would be to think that they’re completely detached from the premise of the gallery, the photographers make it clear that if anything, they deliver an even more impactful political statement: “African Americans are human too”. As Miller explicitly stated, “We may differ in race, color, language, wealth, and politics. But look at what we all have in common – dreams, laughter, tears, pride, the comfort of home, the hunger for love.” They are nevertheless fundamentally the same; they live and act as “human” as their racial counterparts.
