April 25, 2015: Devin Allen’s image of a man running from a phalanx of Baltimore Police went viral and landed on the cover of Time magazine. | Photo by Devin Allen
THE GORDON PARKS FOUNDATION is providing support to one of the most talented young black photographers to emerge in recent years. The foundation announced a new fellowship program and Baltimore photographer and activist Devin Allen is one of two inaugural recipients.
Allen gained renown for his photographs of the Baltimore uprising that unfolded in the streets of his city following the death of Freddie Gray while in the custody of Baltimore Police. One of his most poignant images landed on the cover of Time magazine in May 2015. It was only the third time an amateur photographer received such recognition from the national publication.
Established this year, the Gordon Parks Foundation Fellowship Program gives annual support for social justice-themed projects, awarding up to $10,000. Support is provided to artists working across the range of disciplines in which Parks was engaged—photography, filmmaking, and music—for projects “that highlight the humanity and creative spirit of Gordon Parks.”
Since his widespread recognition, Allen has remained committed to his community, sharing his craft with Baltimore youth. His “Through Their Eyes” project trains students whose schools are underfunded in the arts how to use cameras and express themselves through photography. The Parks fellowship will help sustain the program.
CHECK OUT Devin Allen on Instagram @bydvnlln
The foundation also awarded an inaugural fellowship to New York-based Harriet Dedman, a British journalist, photographer and filmmaker for her project “Beneath These Restless Skies.”
ALLEN’S PHOTOGRAPHY was presented at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum in Baltimore. “Devin Allen: Awakenings, In a New Light” was exhibited July 10, 2015-March 13, 2016. His work is currently on display at Brown University through May 2017. “Rising/Uprising in Baltimore: A Beautiful Ghetto” is at the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America.
In September, Allen was featured on OWN’s Super Soul Sunday and he explained how photography transformed his life and his outlook on his hometown: “Once I started photography, I actually saw the beauty in my city and I actually fell in love with it all over again.” CT
IMAGE: Above left, Devin Allen via Gordon Parks Foundation
Devin Allen’s image from the uprising that ensued following the killing of Freddie Gray while in custody of Baltimore Police landed on the May 11, 2015, cover of Time magazine.
