Gordon Parks Foundation Celebrates 20th Anniversary

Yearlong series of exhibitions, publications, fellowships, and events highlight the artist's enduring legacy.

Apr. 2, 2026 at 1:20am

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The Gordon Parks Foundation is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2026 with a yearlong series of exhibitions, publications, fellowships, and events that will highlight the groundbreaking work and lasting impact of photographer, filmmaker, musician and author Gordon Parks (1912–2006). Parks created a body of work over his 50-year career that made him one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, with a focus on social justice, race relations, the Civil Rights Movement and the African American experience.

Why it matters

Gordon Parks' work stands as an unvarnished portrait of America, documenting the nation's social conditions and the African American experience during a pivotal time in history. As the country celebrates its 250th anniversary, Parks' legacy continues to inform and inspire contemporary artistic practice focused on social justice and civil rights.

The details

Beginning in the 1940s, Parks documented American life and culture, working as a staff photographer for Life magazine for more than two decades. In 1969, he became the first African American to write and direct a major feature film, The Learning Tree, based on his semiautobiographical novel. His next directorial endeavor, Shaft (1971), helped define the Blaxploitation genre. Parks continued photographing, publishing and composing until his death in 2006.

  • The Gordon Parks Foundation was co-founded in 2006 by Parks with his longtime friend and editor at Life magazine, Philip B. Kunhardt, Jr.
  • The Foundation's 20th anniversary is in 2026.

The players

Gordon Parks

Photographer, filmmaker, musician and author who created a groundbreaking body of work focused on social justice, race relations, the Civil Rights Movement and the African American experience over his 50-year career.

Philip B. Kunhardt, Jr.

Longtime friend and editor of Gordon Parks at Life magazine, who co-founded the Gordon Parks Foundation in 2006 to preserve his creative work and support the next generation of artists advancing social justice.

Dawoud Bey

Acclaimed American photographer who curated the exhibition 'Gordon Parks: The South in Color' at Jackson Fine Arts gallery in Atlanta.

Cora Taylor

The subject of one of Gordon Parks' most recognized photographs, 'At Segregated Drinking Fountain, Mobile, Alabama,' which will be featured in the exhibition.

Beverly Price

Artist whose work is featured in the exhibition 'A Language We Share: Beverly Price and Gordon Parks' at the Center for Art and Advocacy in Brooklyn, exploring an intergenerational dialogue with Parks' photography.

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What they’re saying

“You're damn right!”

— Gordon Parks

What’s next

The Gordon Parks Foundation's yearlong series of exhibitions, publications, fellowships, and events celebrating its 20th anniversary will run throughout 2026.

The takeaway

Gordon Parks' powerful and influential body of work, spanning photography, film, music and writing, continues to shape contemporary artistic practice focused on social justice, civil rights and the African American experience. As the nation marks its 250th anniversary, Parks' legacy provides a vital lens through which to understand America's complex history and ongoing struggles for equality.