Gordon Parks Foundation Launches Legacy Initiative And Announce 2025 Fellows – Essence

The Gordon Parks Foundation is celebrating its latest milestone with the introduction of the Legacy Initiative, a groundbreaking collection-building program honoring mid-and late-career artists connected to Gordon Parks’ enduring impact. This initiative will acquire works from selected artists for the Foundation’s permanent collection, ensuring their contributions to social justice and community engagement are preserved and celebrated. The acquired works will be showcased in exhibitions, made available for research, and featured in educational resources on the Foundation’s website.

In its inaugural year, this initiative recognizes Mikki Ferrill and LeRoy Henderson, two trailblazing photographers whose work echoes Parks’ use of the medium as a tool for advocacy and connection. By honoring the aforementioned creative’s profound contributions to photography, the Foundation amplifies its mission to promote equity and representation through art.

“Far too often the people who lay the groundwork are overlooked and forgotten,” Ferrill said in a statement. “The Legacy Fund not only recognizes the foundation that was laid, it also acknowledges the dedication made before photography became as popular as it is now.” 

“I cannot think of an organization from which I could receive support that would mean more to me,” added Henderson. “From the earliest days of my interest in photography, Gordon Parks has been an inspiration and role model.”

This year’s GPF Fellows bring a fresh wave of creativity and activism. Derek Fordjour, an interdisciplinary artist and educator, joins alongside Scheherazade Tillet, a photo-based artist and feminist activist. The Genevieve Young Fellowship in Writing has been awarded to Pulitzer Prize-winning critic-at-large Salamishah Tillet. These fellows will create work that aligns with Parks’ themes of representation and justice, culminating in solo exhibitions at the Foundation’s Gallery in Pleasantville, NY. Their projects will also become part of the organization’s permanent collection, furthering its commitment to uplifting misrepresented voices.

“The Gordon Parks Foundation’s grant, prize, and acquisition initiatives are an integral part of our mission, as we strive to support the kind of artistic networks that were vital to Gordon’s own career” said The Gordon Parks Foundation’s Executive Director Peter W. Kunhardt, Jr. “Gordon received the Julius Rosenwald Fellowship for photography in 1941 and it’s an honor to be able to continue providing the same impactful support to artists who we are inspired by, and who share Gordon Parks’s creative goals and the mission of the foundation. Having the work of these artists in our collection, alongside Gordon’s own photographic archive, ensures that this work will be made available for future generations of artists and scholars.”

All of this will be celebrated at the Annual Awards Dinner & Auction on May 20 at Cipriani 42nd Street, where luminaries like Bethann Hardison, Rashid Johnson, Anna Wintour, and Ambassador Andrew Young will be honored. The event will also highlight historic photographs of Rev. E.F. Ledbetter, featured in an upcoming Howard University exhibition.

With co-chairs including Swizz Beatz, Alicia Keys and Spike Lee, the gala promises to support the Foundation’s year-round programming, fellowships, and scholarships that empower future generations of artists, writers, and students to continue the work of Gordon Parks.

Tickets are available starting at $2,000 and can be purchased on the foundation’s website.