The Center for Photography at Woodstock (CPW) in Kingston, New York, is presenting a comprehensive program this fall that examines memory, cultural identity, and everyday life in the American South through the lens of documentary arts. The centerpiece exhibition, "Everyday Culture: Seven Projects by Documentary Arts," showcases four decades of groundbreaking work by photographer and cultural documentarian Alan Govenar, founder of the pioneering organization Documentary Arts, which he established in 1985.

Two companion exhibitions complement the main show. "Kinship & Community," curated by Nicole Fleetwood, features selections from the Texas African American Photography Archive (TAAP), which Govenar co-founded in 1995. The third exhibition, "Between a Memory and Me," presents intimate portraits of Black Southern communities by photographer Rahim Fortune, including new color photographs created in response to the TAAP collection. Fortune's work will also be featured in an upcoming publication titled "Kinship & Community" by Aperture and Documentary Arts.

Govenar, a Guggenheim Fellow whose projects span photography, film, and theater worldwide, has dedicated his career to championing overlooked cultural practices, from tattooing and blues music to vernacular photography and folk art. His current projects include new books on American tattoo history and the upcoming documentary film "Quiet Voices in a Noisy World: The Struggle for Change in Jasper, Texas," which will premiere at Cinema Village in New York City this November.

In a recent interview with Myrtille Beauvert, Govenar reflected on his motivation for founding Documentary Arts in 1985. "I founded Documentary Arts to advance new perspectives on historical issues and diverse cultures," he explained. "My definition of documentary is open-ended and is a lens for assessing what I experience. The subjects I focus on define my medium of expression, and the approaches I take result in documentary works in different forms: photographs, films, videos, sound recordings, non-fiction books, interactive multimedia, as well as in poetry, novels, and musical theatre."

The Texas African American Photography Archive emerged from Govenar's work on "Living Texas Blues," a multimedia project commissioned by the Dallas Museum of Art in 1984. When searching for images by Black photographers, Govenar discovered that few, if any, were identified in Texas museum collections. His research through Black business directories revealed that some photographers who had started their careers in the 1940s still maintained the same telephone numbers decades later.

In Houston, Govenar met photographer Benny Joseph, beginning a collaboration that involved reviewing thousands of negatives and creating prints of Joseph's work. This partnership led to the 1986 exhibition "The Early Years of Rhythm and Blues: The Photography of Benny Joseph," which traveled to 29 cities over six years. The accompanying book's review in The New York Times helped propel the growth of the Texas African American Photography Archive.

Through Joseph's introductions, Govenar connected with other photographers including Herbert Provost, Louise Martin, Elnora Frazier, Juanita Williams, and Hiram Dotson, who all contributed prints to the growing archive. Additional research in Dallas, Lubbock, and Tyler expanded the collection exponentially, leading Govenar and artist Kaleta Doolin to formally establish the Texas African American Photography Archive in 1995.

Govenar's background in anthropology and folklore has profoundly shaped his approach to cultural documentation. "My experience as an anthropologist and folklorist opened ways of thinking that guided my documentary practice, helping me to better understand the subjects of my documentary work by actively involving them in the process of its creation," he noted.

The "Everyday Culture" exhibition represents Documentary Arts' focus on marginalized and poorly documented areas of expressive culture. Govenar's work on tattooing, which began in 1973, initially addressed a practice largely viewed as deviant behavior. "When I began my book and film 'Stoney Knows How' in the mid-1970s, tattooing was largely seen as a form of deviance, a rebellion against social norms," Govenar recalled. "My mission was to document the ways tattooing was an art form that didn't fit neatly into the hierarchy of expressive culture."

Today, Documentary Arts is collaborating with the Tattoo Archive and the Tattoo Historical Society to establish a Tattoo Institute featuring a digital archive and repository for research materials. Similarly, the organization's work in Jasper, Texas, which began in 1996 with preserving Black photographer Alonzo Jordan's collection, has evolved into community collaborations and the recent documentary film about local African American volunteers working for social justice.

Govenar's documentation of Texas blues emerged as a response to Mississippi-centric interpretations of the genre's origins. His work established the regional distinctiveness of Texas blues within the broader African diaspora in America, noting that Texas was one of the last destinations of the illegal slave trade in the 1830s, resulting in strong African influences evident in Black East Texas music.

Vernacular photography plays a crucial role in American cultural history, according to Govenar. "Vernacular photography is a means through which people validate themselves, their families, and their communities," he explained. "Community studio photographers have a different role; they are committed to affirming the cultural identity of those who appear in the structured compositions of the studio environment. During the years of segregation, Black community photographers worked to bolster the self-esteem of their clients, highlighting their achievements and affirming their dignity."

Addressing the current cultural climate, Govenar views folklore's place in contemporary America as embattled. "The place of folklore in today's America is under siege, a battleground where cultures clash with one another," he observed. Social media has become both a vehicle for folklore and its distorted counterpart, "fakelore," which mirrors traditional forms but distorts their intended meaning.

In response to ongoing debates about history, memory, and cultural identity, Documentary Arts launched the online magazine "Truth in Photography." Developed in association with Magnum Photos, Aperture, and the International Center of Photography, the publication explores vital issues in image-making and questions the concept of truth in photography by presenting multiple perspectives from diverse curators, photographers, critics, and historians.

Founder Bob Ray Sanders, one of Documentary Arts' founding board members, emphasized the organization's ethical approach: "Cultural appropriation implies taking something from someone in an exploitative, disrespectful, or stereotypical way, which is exactly the opposite of what Documentary Arts has done for the past four decades through its exhibitions, books, films, and Black photography archives. Rather than appropriation, the organization has shown appreciation. Rather than exploitation, Documentary Arts has made it a point to provide compensation to those artists and participants who rarely received any remuneration."

The three exhibitions - "Everyday Culture: Seven Projects by Documentary Arts," "Kinship & Community: Selections from the Texas African American Photography Archive," and "Rahim Fortune: Between a Memory and Me" - run from September 20, 2025, through January 11, 2026, at CPW, located at 25 Dederick Street in Kingston, New York. Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with additional information available at www.cpw.org.