Artist Dread Scott's family photos date back to the 1880s. Among the archive are portraits of Dread's great grandparents who lived around the corner from the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham (the site of the bombing that killed 4 girls in 1963) and were members of that church in the 1920s. There are photos taken by Dread's father who was a photojournalist at the Chicago Defender before he was born. The collection includes portraits of people in their best clothing and snapshots of kids at play on Christmas morning. This extensive archive is unusual for any family, but especially so for a Black family.
From an early age, Dread's parents gifted him cameras and his father taught him how to develop film and print in the darkroom that he set up at his business. This upbringing played a pivotal role in shaping Dread as an artist.
Thinking through how to engage this family archive, Dread conceived the idea of hosting an event at The Kite, where we'll be projecting shots spanning generations — from grandparents and great-grandparents to cousins, uncles, and aunties, alongside snapshots of Dread's younger self, interspersed with old postcards and letters. Join us for an evening of the intimate histories and broader social stories captured within Dread's family album!
