Movie stars, jazz icons, water and light: photographer Adger Cowans reflects on his life鈥檚 work

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Movie stars, jazz icons, water and light: photographer Adger Cowans reflects on his life鈥檚 work

黑料吃瓜网 Radio | By Ryan Caron King

Published March 17, 2022 at 4:30 PM EDT

Adger Cowans sits during an interview in his Bridgeport studio in February 2022. The photographer and visual artist reflected on his expansive career 鈥� spanning from Hollywood movie sets to photographing musicians of the jazz era. Cowans also worked with and was close friends with Gordon Parks, a celebrated photographer and movie director who was the first Black staff photographer at LIFE magazine. — Adger Cowans sits in his Bridgeport studio during an interview in February 2022. The photographer and visual artist reflected on his expansive career 鈥� spanning Hollywood movie sets to photographing musicians of the jazz era. Cowans also worked with and was close friends with Gordon Parks, a celebrated photographer and movie director who was the first Black staff photographer at LIFE magazine.

Adger Cowans is an 85-year-old photographer and visual artist in Bridgeport, 黑料吃瓜网. He worked with Gordon Parks and photographed jazz greats, movie stars and Hollywood sets 鈥� and bore witness to several eras of American history through the lens of his camera. In this video, he reflects on his life鈥檚 work, the racism he faced working in a predominantly white industry and what motivates him to make art.

You can see in a new exhibition at the Fairfield University Art Museum until June 18.

Video by Ryan Caron King

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de 黑料吃瓜网, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programaci贸n que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para m谩s reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscr铆base a nuestro bolet铆n informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

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