Advertisement
Editor’s Note: To learn more about Harvey Finkle’s photographs, go to the search bar at the top of the page: enter name and click the green icon.
.
Posted on January 31, 2012 – Copyright 2012
Museums
Posted by Harvey Finkle
…….A conventional view of museums might see them solely as institutions that house works of art, and as places for elites to view these works.
Ad Reinhard
But museums are communities.
Communities
Besides enhancing our insights into the human condition and providing us with an historic vision of the evolution of our development socially, economically, culturally and creatively, they house activities that go far beyond these roles.
Man With Sculpture
Many activities of a community take place at museums; romance, relaxation, performance, protest, education, dining. In many ways, they are our melting pots, accommodating people of all ages and backgrounds
Carol
There was no intention of producing a documentary or photo essay about museums. These photos were taken over time and location without any thought of a unified body of work. The locations include Philadelphia, Paris, Barcelona, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. The time span covers a period of over 20 years.
www.HarveyFinkle.com
The Tribute To Harvey Finkle
……We reported a couple of weeks ago that the Bread & Roses Community Fund of Philadelphia paid tribute to the documentary photographs of Harvey Finkle at the Constitution Center of Philadelphia. For those who are not familiar with the center, it is located on Independence Mall, the same place where Presidential candidate Barack Obama gave his famous speech about race in America in 2008, during his run for the presidency.
The upper floor of the marvelous new facility was turned into an art gallery and celebration for the extraordinary commitment Harvey has made to the downtrodden and unfortunate in our society. Eighty photographs were on display and well over 1000 people attended the events of that memorable evening. One of the highlights was a spoken word/rap presentation by Mr. Tim Dowlin. We asked Tim if he would give us permission to publish his especially crafted words for the special tribute to Harvey…….
Project Home
Tim Dowlin;
I try to capture moments with the pen/ just like he does with the lens/
He’s a man of principle, he seems invincible/ yet he blends in so well, he’s invisible/
Moving through the crowd/ you know he’s got a vision/
We chant loud, and stand proud/ its no decision/
Cause for us to protest against death is the same as living/
I ain’t kidding/ situations that I been in/
Got me and Harvey on a world tour/
Stop the war/ and the war on the poor/
Economic Human Rights is what we fighting for/
Together we’ve seen some great places/ in this great nation/ but its no vacation/
Taking the Documentation of the Violations/ to the United Nations/
We all agree without hesitation/ the greatest task that we facing/
Is to BREAK UP- and WAKE UP- and SHAKE UP- the complacent/
OK, OK, I know its a Tribute to Change/ I ain’t mean to change the tribute/
This is just how I contribute/ from the food distribution center/
I’m a take it back to the National Constitution Center/
I’m a practice my First and speak freely/
Harvey has seen me/ since I was a teenager/
Yeah I was a minor now it seems major/
Ever since I was a Urban Nomad/ with no pad/ crib or apartment/
No food to keep the dudes ribs apart wit/ the right attitude to start wit/
Harvey taught me how to develop a negative into a positive picture.
From The Deaf Blind Series
www.HarveyFinkle.com
Street Musician, Philadelphia, 1994
……Every time I think about the life and work of Harvey Finkle, he reminds me of the good fortune he has had in his life. A beautiful life partner, close knit family and a passion for something that each day brings him great joy. That passion, to our benefit are his photographs. Following a long tradition of documentary photography, Harvey Finkle is the Mother Theresa of passionate photography. He began to excel at his lifes work in his early years, receiving a Social Work degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1961. From there, his education lead him to picture making which helped him define his social causes.
On Thursday, October 15th, 2009 The Constitution Center of Philadelphia will recognize his legacy. A press release has just arrived at the studio from Bread & Roses Community Fund of Philadelphia. Tickets are available at the door. You don’t want to miss this event!
Tent City, Philadelphia 1995
Tribute
The Bread & Roses Community Fund will be honoring social documentarian, Harvey Finkle, at its annual event on 10-15-09 at the National Constitution Center. Harvey is a still photographer, whose interests are social, political and cultural. His career has centered on photographing marginalized and disenfranchised people, including low income and homeless families, refugees and immigrants, the disabled and the Deaf, as well as groups working for economic justice, peace and human rights. The tribute will exhibit 75 photos reflecting the groups and people that he has photographed. His work can be seen on his website, harveyfinkle.com
www.HarveyFinkle.com