Personal Vision

Adger W. Cowans studied photography at Ohio State University under Clarence H. White Jr., then served as a military photographer in the United States Navy before moving to New York City, where he worked with Life magazine photographer Gordon Parks and fashion photographers Henri Clarke, Ben Somoroff, Lillian Bassman, Steve Manville, among others. Adger was has received the John Hay Whitney Fellowship, as well as the Lorenzo il Magnifico alla Carriera, in recognition of his distinguished career, at the 2001 Florence Biennale of Contemporary Art. His travels have led him to Morocco, Brazil, Paris, London, Rome, Florence, Switzerland, Bali, Mexico, and all over the United States. Among the numerous museums Adger has exhibited at are MoMa, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, George Eastman House, Harvard University, Chicago School of Design, International School of Photography, and the Studio Museum of Harlem. Tuliza Fleming is a Smithsonian curator at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC. Dòwòti Désir is a social curator, activist, faith leader, photojournalist, designer, and author. George N. Preston, PhD, is the co-founding director and chief curator at the Museum of Art and Origins, and has taught at City College of New York for over 33 years.