Shabazz, Jamel, 1960- (1960-)

Person

Dates

Existence: 1960-

Biography

Jamel Shabazz was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. At the age of fifteen he picked up his first camera and started to document his peers. Inspired by photographers Leonard Freed, James Van Der Zee, and Gordon Parks, he was marveled with their documentation of the African American community. In 1980 as a concerned photographer with a clear vision he embarked on a mission to extensively document various aspects of life in New York City, from youth culture to a wide range of social conditions. Due to its spontaneity and uniqueness, the streets and subway system became backdrops for many of his photographs, which have since been exhibited internationally in museums and galleries.

Shabazz has volunteered with a wide range organizations centered on inspiring young people in the field of photography and social responsibility. In addition, he has been a teaching artist with the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation, the Bronx Museum’s Teen Council youth program, The International Center of Photography, Friends of the Island Academy, and the Studio Museum in Harlem’s Expanding the Walls Project. He has lectured at the Fashion Institute of Technology, The International Center for Photography, The Brooklyn Historic Foundation, Haverford College and Parsons New School of Design. Shabazz is the author of 5 monographs and has contributed to numerous others.

Found in 1 Collection or Record:

Jamel Shabazz interview, 2014 January 6, 2014 January 6

Item

Identifier: SC.FITA.3.20.4.9.10.1

Scope and Contents April Calahan, Curator of Manuscripts at the Special Collections and FIT Archive unit of the Fashion Institute of Technology library, interviews street style fashion photographer Jamel Shabazz. Mr. Shabazz talks of his life growing up in New York City as a child of divorce. He recalls how he started learning photography in Germany while serving in the armed forces. He began documenting his world in 1980 when he began taking photographs of young people who reminded him of his own life growing...

Dates: 2014 January 6

Found in: Special Collections and FIT Archive / Academic Affairs records / Gladys Marcus Library records / Special Collections and FIT Archive / FIT oral histories collection / FIT Talks oral history series, 2014-

Filtered By

Subject: Graffiti X