Film Friday: Earlie Hudnall, Jr. – American Photographer

We have a special Saturday edition of our #FilmFriday series today! We are happy to share this image from The Grace Museum Collection by @txcommarts – 2020 Texas State Artist (2D) – Earlie Hudnall, Jr. titled “The Guardian”.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Growing up in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Earlie Hudnall, Jr. learned the importance of community and culture. After serving as a Marine in the Vietnam War, he moved to Houston to study art at Texas Southern University. There, he met Dr. John Biggers, the notable painter, muralist, and art educator, who became his mentor. While at Texas Southern, Hudnall was hired by Dr. Thomas Freeman, professor of philosophy, Director of the TSU Debate Team, and Director of the Model Cities Program on campus. His task was to photograph in depth those communities impacted by this federal program inspired by President Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society and War on Poverty. Dr. Freeman had a vision for the documentation required for this massive project. Hudnall understood this vision completely, and as a result the young photographer was free to explore and document the daily lives of African Americans in Houston. The countless days that he spent with fellow photographer Ray Carrington photographing families, individuals, elders, and children in the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Wards had a lasting impact upon him as an artist. Hudnall has continued to photograph these same communities throughout his career, and has produced some of his strongest work from these historic areas of Houston. Children and the elderly continue to be his favorite subject. Earlie Hudnall’s photographs have been exhibited widely in museums and art galleries throughout the country. His photographs are included in major museum collections, including the Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth; the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin; the Art Institute of Chicago; the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York City; and the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Museum of African American History and Culture, in Washington, DC.