Published Friday, September 20, 2002
By Larissa Theodore
Herald Staff Writer
Charles "Teenie" Harris is arguably one of the most important and prolific photographers of the 20th century.
In a span of 40 years, the late Harris captured history through his lens with photos he took of the black community in Pittsburgh's Hill District. There are more than 80,000 negatives that in some way convey the black experience.
"Spirit of a Community: The Photographs of Charles 'Teenie' Harris" is on display at Slippery Rock University, on loan from the Westmoreland Museum of Art in Greensburg, Pa. The historic black-and-white photos have received national attention and will be displayed through Oct. 16.
During a preopening ceremony Tuesday, SRU President G. Warren Smith called Harris's photos "remarkable" and said he's proud to present the public an exhibit that captures the essence of an era that few can remember.
"It is a very important opportunity for all of us to view this as a window to the past," he said. "I hope that each of you come away from this exhibit with a stronger understanding of community."
The exhibit is only a small part of Harris's work and scholarship, said Dr. Kurt Pitluga, curator and art professor.
"I think he's a man that borders on genius," Pitluga said. "He captures mood, emotion, place and time. What a great sense of photography."
Pitluga said Harris, a self-taught photojournalist and portrait photographer, got his start when he borrowed $300 from his brother and opened his own place, Harris Studio. Harris also worked at the Pittsburgh Courier, a black newspaper, which gave him the opportunity to cover sports and entertainment figures. Duke Ellington, John F. Kennedy, Muhammad Ali and Bill "Bojangles" Robinson were a few of the prestigious subjects Harris photographed.
Pitluga said Harris's photos ran counter to typical African-American depiction, which helped break down stereotypes. He used his camera lens to convey both the rich and poor, the young and old and the famous and indiscernible. Whether he was backstage with entertainers Dizzy Gillespie and Lena Horne, in the dugout with baseball legends Josh Gibson and Roberto Clemente, or in the streets of Pittsburgh with striking steelworkers, he was taking unique snapshots.
"And he never took multiple shots," Pitluga said. "He took one shot and that's what he used."
His favorite subjects were women and children.
"He could make kids laugh and treated women like goddesses," Pitluga said.
Robin Como of Mercer seemed mesmerized as she stood observing the photos at the preopening exhibit.
"They remind me of the Great Depression and photographers from the '30s and '40s like Dorothea Lang, who captured people in society," she said. "He captured an era that won't even be seen again."
Her husband Thomas Como, SRU art department chairman, added, "It's impressive. It's not just simply a photo documentary, it's an art form."
The photos almost never made it to a museum, Pitluga said. For 14 years Harris's negatives were unavailable due to an arrangement he had made with a private photo dealer to act as a distributor for his work and to protect his negatives. But the agent never fulfilled the agreement, and in 2000 the Harris family won the release of the negatives.
Dwight Greer, assistant professor of academic services and director of the Frederick Douglas Institute at Slippery Rock, saidFebruary -- Black History Month -- was purposefully avoided in showing Harris's photos.
"I felt we would lose that spirit of community if we did this in February," he said. "We wanted to do something right away."
"Spirit of a Community: Photographs of Charles 'Teenie' Harris" runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today in Slippery Rock's University Union's multi-purpose room and Tuesday through Oct. 16 in the Martha Gault Art Gallery at SRU. Robert Raczka, art critic and expert, will give two lectures on Harris and his work at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. today in the University Union.
You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Larissa Theodore at ltheodore@sharonherald.com