“Portrait of a Generation” on view through Feb. 4 at Tulsa Historical Society
This photo of my daughter, Brenna Faire McDonnell, is featured in acclaimed photographer M.J. Alexander's new art book “Portrait of a Generation — The Children of Oklahoma: Sons and Daughters of the Red Earth.”
TULSA – Oklahoma City photographer M.J. Alexander’s “Portrait of a Generation” exhibit is on view through Feb. 4 at the Tulsa Historical Society, 2445 S Peoria.
The exhibit is the traveling companion to Alexander’s limited edition 2010 art book “Portrait of a Generation — The Children of Oklahoma: Sons and Daughters of the Red Earth,” which won a 2011 Oklahoma Book Award.
Among the photographs in the book is an image of my husband, Patrick, holding aloft our daughter, Brenna, who was just 100 hours old at the time. Brenna is now 18 months old.
For the forward-looking follow-up to her 2007 book “Salt of the Red Earth,” which featured Oklahoma centenarians, Alexander embarked on a quest to feature the youngsters who will determine Oklahoma’s future. Her mission took her more than 11,000 miles to 50 towns and cities, from Cimarron County to Beaver’s Bend and Mangum to Picher.
Even when she stayed in one city, the acclaimed photographer often found youngsters living in vastly different worlds: She photographed Baylee Blain Henry, 13, who is youngest daughter of Brad and Kim Henry, at the Governor’s Mansion; bombing survivors Rebecca Ann Denny, 17, and Brandon James Denny, 19, at the Oklahoma City National Memorial; and solemn Sa’Nya Kathryn-Lovella Clark, 2, at Sister B.J.’s Food Pantry.
“It stars the kids and it has their portraits; it stars Oklahoma because it has the environment. Even if you can’t see Oklahoma — some of the shots are more scenic than others — even if it’s a close-up of cowboy (belt) buckles, you see Oklahoma reflected back in that,” Alexander told me in an interview. “You have the kids’ words, what they think about life, what their philosophies are, like in your case, what are their families’ hopes for them, which is really heartening when you see these families already looking forward to the future.”
The exhibit has previously been shown at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art and JRB Art at the Elms gallery in the Paseo Arts District. It will be on view later this winter in the state Capitol.
For more information on the book, go to www.sliceok.com/portrait.
For more information on the Tulsa Historical Society exhibit, go to www.tulsahistory.org.
-BAM
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