Jack Spencer
Encyclopedia
Jack Spencer is a self-taught American
photographer.
Spencer was born in Kosciusko
, Mississippi and his first love was music, performing in rock bands making a recording. He is probably best known for his series, Native Soil that featured deep sepia tones combined with deep-South imagery. Spencer heavily manipulates his photographs in the darkroom.
Spencer's Lost Boys series came about because of abuse he saw in Nashville
where a young boy Pel Gai was murdered in a nightclub there. Pel Gai is from the Southern part of Sudan
and about 150 refugees were sent to Nashville after reaching a refugee camp in Kenya
.
Spencer's work was also included in The South By Its Photographers with many other Southern artists including Shelby Lee Adams
, William Christenberry
, and Melissa Springer
. This exhibition was shown at the Birmingham Museum of Art
, Columbia Museum of Art
, and Louisiana Center for Arts and Sciences. The exhibit spurred the careers of these photographers and was also made into a book by Susan Sipple Elliott. Spencer's work was also chosen to be in Picturing the South curated by Ellen Fleurov
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
photographer.
Spencer was born in Kosciusko
Kosciusko, Mississippi
Kosciusko is a city in Attala County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 7,372 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Attala County....
, Mississippi and his first love was music, performing in rock bands making a recording. He is probably best known for his series, Native Soil that featured deep sepia tones combined with deep-South imagery. Spencer heavily manipulates his photographs in the darkroom.
Spencer's Lost Boys series came about because of abuse he saw in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
where a young boy Pel Gai was murdered in a nightclub there. Pel Gai is from the Southern part of Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
and about 150 refugees were sent to Nashville after reaching a refugee camp in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
.
Spencer's work was also included in The South By Its Photographers with many other Southern artists including Shelby Lee Adams
Shelby Lee Adams
Shelby Lee Adams is an American environmental portrait photographer and artist best known for his images of Appalachian family life.-Life and career:...
, William Christenberry
William Christenberry
William Christenberry is a photographer, painter, and sculptor who works with personal and somewhat mythical themes growing out of his childhood experiences in Hale County, Alabama....
, and Melissa Springer
Melissa Springer
Melissa Springer is an American photojournalist whose work has appeared in numerous publications, including Aperture, Elle, Forbes, Harper's Bazaar, The New York Times Magazine, Los Angeles Times Magazine, Southern Living, The Village Voice and House & Garden.Springer was one of the first...
. This exhibition was shown at the Birmingham Museum of Art
Birmingham Museum of Art
Founded in 1951, the Birmingham Museum of Art in Birmingham, Alabama today has one of the finest collections in the Southeast US, with more than 24,000 paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, and decorative arts representing a numerous diverse cultures, including Asian, European, American,...
, Columbia Museum of Art
Columbia Museum of Art
The Columbia Museum of Art in Columbia, South Carolina has a collection of European and American fine and decorative art that spans several centuries...
, and Louisiana Center for Arts and Sciences. The exhibit spurred the careers of these photographers and was also made into a book by Susan Sipple Elliott. Spencer's work was also chosen to be in Picturing the South curated by Ellen Fleurov
Ellen Fleurov
Ellen Fleurov is an American museum curator and photography historian. She is the president and founder of Crossroads Traveling Exhibitions.-References:...
.
External links
- Spencer's website
- Spencer's resume at Catherine Edelman Gallery
- About the Lost Boys Foundation
- ArtNet, Jack Spencer
- "Jack Spencer: Aparicioñes", exhibition notice and description, Andrew Smith Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico