John Henry Memorial Blues and Gospel Jubilee, Clifftop, West Virginia (Primary Title)
Marilyn Nance, American, born 1953 (Artist)
Marilyn Nance attended New York University and Pratt Institute, graduating with a masters in fine arts in 1976. Along with Dawoud Bey and Carrie Mae Weems, Nance was part of a younger generation of photographers who admired the work of the Kamoinge Workshop members, as well as the ethos the group represented. Beuford Smith, the editor of the Annual, learned about Nance’s work while she was still a student and encouraged her to submit her photographs, ultimately choosing this one for publication.
Nance made the image on August 19, 1974, at the Second Annual John Henry Memorial Blues and Gospel Jubilee in Clifftop, West Virginia, which was held at Camp Washington-Carver, the first African American 4H camp in the country. Nance’s decision to use only available light and a slow shutter speed without a tripod produced a blurred, atmospheric quality that conveys a sense of vibrating sound, emphasizing motion and tone over detail. Bessie Jones, of the Georgia Sea Island Singers, plays the tambourine, Reverend Dan Smith stands at the microphone, and Reverend Pearly Brown on guitar, is seated.
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