Is Queens photogenic? Tough question, but the borough is definitely photo-full these days.
Queens College hosts a panel discussion and book launch for Corky Lee’s Asian America: Fifty Years of Photographic Justice on Monday, Sept. 30, from noon to 2 pm.
Lee, who died from Covid in January 2021, was a photojournalist and activist whose posthumous book contains more than 200 photos on the Asian American social justice movement. Lee was born in 1947 to Chinese immigrants who operated a laundry business. He grew up in Hollis and earned a BA in History from Queens College. Then, he spent two years as a Volunteer in Service to America (VISTA) on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, becoming a housing advocate who used photography to document perceived injustices impacting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
Free and open to the public, the event will take place in Powdermaker Hall’s Campbell Dome. Panelists include visual artist Chee Wang Ng, Asian American Federation Board Member Chris Kwok, and QC Sociology professor Soniya Munshi, while QC Sociology Department Chair Amy Hsin is the moderator. (RSVP to [email protected] by noon on Sept. 27.)
A few days off, and then VP Records launches a Peter Simon exhibition in Jamaica on Saturday, Oct. 5.
Simon is best known for his images of Major League Baseball players and Rock-n-Roll bands such as the Grateful Dead and Led Zeppelin, but this show highlights his iconic images of Reggae stars and Jamaican culture.
The installation highlights working prints from his books, Reggae Bloodlines (Doubleday, 1976), Reggae International (R & B, 1983) and Reggae Scrapbook (Insight Editions, 2007). Guests can explore 36 images along with Simon’s handwritten notes—ranging from subject names to crop marks— to gain insight into his creative process.
The display will be open to the public every Saturday from October through December (11 am to 6 pm) at VP’s newly renovated store at 170-21 Jamaica Ave.
Simon, who grew up in New York but lived in Martha’s Vineyard for most of his adult life, worked with Time, Newsweek, People, Village Voice, Atlantic Monthly, Cape Cod Life, Boston Magazine, New York Magazine, The New York Times, and Rolling Stone. He also published books on Martha’s Vineyard, Carly Simon (his sister), the New York Mets, and other subjects.
Founded in 1979, VP Records is an independent label which specializes in Caribbean genres such as Reggae, Dancehall, and Soca. The company, wich has offices all over the world, is headquarted at 89-05 138 St. The event kicks off a series of pop-up retail events celebrating Reggae and Jamaican culture at the retial store at 170-21 Jamaica Ave.
Top image: Corky Lee