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Gordon Parks Celebration has new home
The Gordon Parks Celebration of Culture and Diversity has a new home this year.
Much of the sixth annual celebration, which began Wednesday, will take place through Saturday at the Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center at Fort Scott Community College, 2108 S. Horton St. The celebration was created in 2004 to honor Parks, a Fort Scott native and noted photographer, writer, poet, musician and filmmaker who died in 2006.
The four-day event features screenings of Parks' films, presentations, panel discussions, music and other entertainment, trolley tours of areas in Fort Scott where Parks grew up and sites where Parks' 1969 film "The Learning Tree" was filmed, and a visit to Parks' gravesite at Evergreen Cemetery where he is buried near his parents. Many of the events are free while some require fees.
Prior to this year, many celebration activities and events took place in various buildings on the FSCC campus, and now organizers will primarily use the 44,000-square-foot fine arts center to conduct everything from registration to panel discussions, presentations and musical performances.
"In this new venue, we have plenty of room," Gordon Parks Museum and Center Director Jill Warford said. "It's great to be in this building and have everything in here."
Warford said she has received many calls in recent weeks from people asking for information about various events that are taking place during the celebration, including an appearance by featured guest Nichelle Nichols, a noted actress, singer and activist who starred in the original "Star Trek" television series; The Wild Women of Kansas City, a jazz group from Kansas City that will perform Thursday; and the Gordon Parks Celebration Tribute Dinner set to take place Friday.
Wednesday events included a community celebration of faith service featuring special music by USD 234 choral music instructor Pat Harry and Maach 5, a vocal quintet from Fort Scott High School, and baritone Phillip Mentor. Guest speaker Patty LaRoche gave a presentation titled "Diversity: A Celebration of Uniqueness."
Events on Thursday include a presentation on the African-American history of Fort Scott by local historian Arnold Schofield, and a presentation by Lowell Milken Center Program Director Megan Felt on diversity projects at the educational center. Musician Phillip Mentor will perform for each grade at various times Thursday afternoon at Fort Scott Middle School, 1105 E. 12th St. Actors Karole Graham and Kyle Johnson will discuss acting tips and techniques from 1:30 to 2:45 p.m. Thursday. A concert by The Wild Women of Kansas City will conclude Thursday events at 7 p.m. at the Liberty Theatre, 113 S. Main St.
Friday events include "Gordon Parks: Up Close and Personal," a presentation by Adger Cowans, a photographer, painter and long-time friend of Parks who will talk about and display his personal collection of photos he has taken of Parks. Kyle Johnson, Nichols' son, will lead a conversation and discussion with Nichols about her career on Friday. Friday events will conclude with the celebration tribute dinner at 7 p.m. Friday at the Liberty Theatre. The evening of tribute to Parks will feature the presentation of the 2009 Gordon Parks Choice of Weapons Award to Nichols.
The celebration wraps up on Saturday with several events, including a presentation by former Fort Scott resident Veretta Cobler, a New York-based professional photographer who has more than 30 years experience working in the industry. Cobler will show a retrospective of her photographs.
Guest speaker Patricia Willard, a writer, historian, photojournalist, lecturer, concert producer and research consultant, will talk about her relationship with Parks. Willard is also expected to talk about how she was introduced to Parks by Duke Ellington in 1960 while she was serving as a researcher, editorial collaborator and public relations consultant for Ellington. Also on Saturday, editors of The Little Balkans Review, a literary journal, will discuss their new publication featuring Parks.
A remembrance service at 3 p.m. Saturday at Parks' gravesite in Evergreen Cemetery will conclude the celebration. Entries in the 21st Annual Gordon Parks Photography competition at FSCC, as well as photos in the Sarah and Andrew Jackson Parks Photography Exhibit at Mercy Health Center, will be on display each day during the celebration.
For more information or a full schedule of celebration events, call Warford at (620) 223-2700, extension 515, or visit www.gordonparkscenter.org.