On Jan.23, the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art opened a new exhibit, From the Heart: The Photographs of Brian Lanker. It is a look back, almost five years after Lanker’s death, on the stories he told as a photojournalist for publications like Life and Sports Illustrated.
“Brian was such a creative storyteller,” said Jordan Schnitzer Communications Director Debbie Williamson-Smith. “He worked closely with his subjects to produce very personal pieces.”
A longtime Eugene resident and former employee of The Register-Guard, Lanker got his start at the Topeka Capital Journal under the tutelage of renowned photographer Rich Clarkson. Lanker won a Pulitzer Prize for feature photography in 1973 for his photo essay on childbirth. His prize-winning photo, “Moment of Life,” is on display at the new exhibit.
On display are many of Lanker’s most iconic images. Including photos from the very first Olympic Track & Field Trials Eugene hosted at Hayward Field in 1972 and ’75, connecting then to now as Eugene is set to host the 2016 trials this summer.
Attendees may also recognize some of Lanker’s portraits of artists like Willie Nelson and David Bowie.
The exhibit comes in coordination with Black History Month and has photos from Lanker’s book, I Dream a World: Portraits of Black Women Who Changed America, which he co-authored with writer and civil rights activist Maya Angelou.
The university received the collection as a gift from Lanker’s wife in time to announce the exhibit during the Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration at the Shedd Institute on Jan. 18.
“[The exhibit] is great work showing the powerful black women who shaped civil rights in this country,” said Eric Richardson, president of the Eugene-Springfield Chapter of the NAACP.
Like previous exhibits at the Jordan Schnitzer, attendees can use their cell phones to access information about the works, providing an audio tour of the exhibit. There will also be screenings of Lanker’s 1998 documentary They Drew Fire: Combat Artists of WWII accompanying his photography.
Admittance to the museum is free for University of Oregon students and children under 12, $5 for adults and $3 for seniors. There is also free general admission on the first Friday of each month. The exhibit runs through April 24.