Gordon Parks' Seminal Civil Rights Photos Showcased in New Color Exhibition

The South in Color exhibition at Jackson Fine Art in Atlanta celebrates the iconic photographer's work and legacy.

Apr. 6, 2026 at 8:37pm

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An extreme close-up photograph of highly textured, glittering camera equipment and film, using dramatic lighting to create a luxurious, high-fashion aesthetic that conceptually represents the artistic quality of Gordon Parks' celebrated civil rights photography.An exhibition celebrating the artistic mastery of iconic civil rights photographer Gordon Parks puts his seminal work in the spotlight once again.Atlanta Today

A new exhibition at Jackson Fine Art in Atlanta, titled 'Gordon Parks: The South in Color,' is showcasing more than 30 photographs from Parks' seminal 'Segregation Story' series, which was originally published in Life magazine in 1956. The exhibition, curated by acclaimed photographer Dawoud Bey, features Parks' color transparencies that were recently discovered and puts a new emphasis on the artistic quality of his work beyond just its documentary value.

Why it matters

This exhibition is significant as it not only commemorates the 70th anniversary of Parks' landmark 'Segregation Story' photo essay, but also the 20th anniversary of the Gordon Parks Foundation. By displaying Parks' work in color, the show highlights the artistic mastery he brought to chronicling the realities of racial injustice in the segregated South during the civil rights era.

The details

The exhibition features more than 30 photographs from Parks' 'Segregation Story' series, which centered around the Thornton family in Mobile, Alabama. Curator Dawoud Bey chose to display all the images in a square format to emphasize Parks' artistic skill in composition and use of color. This approach, according to gallery owner Anna Walker Skillman, reveals a 'soft, painterly quality' to Parks' color work that she believes would have appealed to Life magazine readers in a different way than his famous black-and-white images.

  • The exhibition opened to the public on April 6, 2026.
  • It commemorates the 70th anniversary of the publication of Parks' 'Segregation Story' photo essay in Life magazine in 1956.
  • The exhibition also marks the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Gordon Parks Foundation.

The players

Gordon Parks

An iconic American photographer, filmmaker, musician, and writer who documented the African-American experience and the civil rights movement.

Anna Walker Skillman

The owner of Jackson Fine Art gallery in Atlanta, which is hosting the 'Gordon Parks: The South in Color' exhibition.

Dawoud Bey

An acclaimed American photographer and MacArthur Fellow who curated the 'Gordon Parks: The South in Color' exhibition.

Leslie Parks Bailey

The daughter of Gordon Parks, who attended the exhibition's opening party in Atlanta.

Peter W. Kunhardt, Jr.

The executive director of the Gordon Parks Foundation, which co-organized the exhibition.

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What they’re saying

“These photographs deserve as much consideration for the quality of their making as the mission that brought them into being.”

— Dawoud Bey, Curator

“It still feels very relevant today. You look at film, you look at TV shows, they're using images from Segregation Story to tell these stories again.”

— Anna Walker Skillman, Gallery Owner

“I love all the pieces. It's really great to see my father's work in color because he became very popular with black and white, so it's very nice.”

— Leslie Parks Bailey

What’s next

The exhibition at Jackson Fine Art will be on display through June 2026.

The takeaway

This exhibition not only celebrates the iconic civil rights photography of Gordon Parks, but also highlights his artistic mastery in using color to powerfully document the realities of racial segregation in the American South. By showcasing these rediscovered color images, the show provides a fresh perspective on Parks' seminal work and its continued relevance today.