The Stephen Daiter Gallery is currently presenting "Dawoud Bey: Syracuse 1985," a photography exhibition running through November 28, 2025. The show features work created during Bey's transformative month-long artistic residency at Light Work in Syracuse, New York, which followed his initial success with the "Harlem, U.S.A." project.
In 1985, following the success of his "Harlem, U.S.A." series, Dawoud Bey was invited to participate in his first artistic residency at Light Work in Syracuse, New York. This month-long residency provided him with uninterrupted living and working space, a rare opportunity for a young artist at the time. Bey spent his days walking the city streets, photographing from sunrise to sunset, seven days a week.
Reflecting on this pivotal experience, Bey wrote about the significance of the residency in his career development. "In the fall of 1985, I began a month-long residency at Light Work in Syracuse, New York. At that time, I had never done a residency, although I had been exhibiting for several years," Bey explained. He had previously studied at the School of Visual Arts for two years before dropping out and giving up his scholarship to pursue the "Harlem, U.S.A." project.
Bey's early career was supported by the Cultural Foundation CETA Artists Project, a federal employment assistance program that had modified its guidelines to include artists in the workforce. His "Harlem, U.S.A." exhibition took place at the Studio Museum in Harlem in 1979, followed by a showing at the Cinque Gallery, a nonprofit space founded by artists Romare Bearden, Ernie Crichlow, and Norman Lewis to showcase emerging artists of color.
The Light Work residency provided Bey with decent compensation and a furnished apartment, along with permanent access to a darkroom and the freedom to work daily. "Having permanent access to a darkroom and the freedom to go out every day to work was a completely new experience for me," Bey noted. He seized this opportunity and photographed continuously from sunrise to sunset throughout the month.
During his Syracuse residency, Bey explored different areas of the city, initially focusing on public housing in Syracuse's Black South Side community before moving to downtown areas. He walked South Salina Street and surrounding cross streets, frequented local businesses, mingled with people waiting for buses, and crossed streets to follow variations in light, photographing relentlessly throughout his stay.
"This was the most productive month of my young career," Bey reflected. "I was able to photograph, develop film, make contact sheets and prints, then return to the street without interruption." This uninterrupted workflow allowed him to maintain creative momentum and produce a significant body of work during the residency period.
The impact of the Syracuse residency extended well beyond the month-long stay. A few months after completing the residency, one of Bey's photographs was published in Light Work's Contact Sheet, a simple 11 x 17-inch folded publication. The publication's extensive mailing list proved highly effective in promoting emerging artists' work to the broader art community.
The exposure through Light Work's Contact Sheet led to significant career advancement for Bey. Shortly after the publication was distributed, the photography curator at the Fogg Art Museum contacted Light Work director Jeffrey Hoone to inquire about reaching Bey to view more of his work. This connection resulted in Bey's inclusion in the Fogg's "New American Photographs" exhibition, marking a new stage in his artistic career.
The exhibition "Dawoud Bey: Syracuse 1985" is on display at Stephen Daiter Gallery, located at 230 W Superior St, Suite 400, Chicago, IL 60654, and will continue through November 28, 2025. The gallery's website provides additional information about the exhibition and the artist's work.
