Frank Stewart’s Nexus / The Baker Museum / Artis

An American Photographer’s Journey, 1960s to the Present

Frank Stewart (American, b. 1949). Radio Players Series (On Bus), 1978. Gelatin silver print, 14 x 11 in. Collection of Sing Lathan and Bining Taylor.

October 14, 2023 – January 7, 2024
Located on the third floor of The Baker Museum

For over six decades, Frank Stewart has captured intimate and empathetic images of life experienced and observed. He has drawn inspiration from trips to Africa and Cuba, travels as the lead photographer for the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and powerful examinations of our ever-changing landscape. In his investigation of the expressive potential of photography, Stewart has experimented with size, format and printing in his quest for a deeper understanding of himself in his world. His photographs of the many aspects and rituals of Black culture, explored through the senses of touch, sound and taste, suggest the joys and pains of everyday life.

Music — gospel, blues and jazz — is one of his overarching influences. Stewart traveled internationally with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra as their senior staff photographer from 1990 to 2020. Throughout his time with the orchestra, Stewart captured both public performances and candid, personal moments, creating an intimate portrait of some of the most celebrated musicians of our time. Stewart’s well-known photographs of jazz legends Miles Davis, Ahmad Jamal and Wynton Marsalis are a highlight of the exhibition, on display with candid shots of other artists in their workplaces.

Frank Stewart’s Nexus: An American Photographer’s Journey, 1960s to the Present is co-organized by The Phillips Collection and Telfair Museums and is curated by Ruth Fine, former curator of special projects in modern art, National Gallery of Art, and Fred Moten, professor of performance studies, Tisch School of Fine Arts, New York University. The presentation of this exhibition at Artis—Naples, The Baker Museum is curated by Courtney McNeil, museum director and chief curator.

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Selected Works

Frank Stewart (American, b. 1949). Stomping the Blues, 1997. Gelatin silver print, 16 x 20 in. Collection of Rob Gibson, Savannah.

Frank Stewart (American, b. 1949). Juneteenth ‘93, 19th of June Celebration, Mexia, Texas, 1993. Gelatin silver print, mounted by artist on heavy paper, 7 3/4 x 11 1/2 in. Collection of the artist.

Frank Stewart (American, b. 1949). Bicycle II, Cienfuegos, 2004/05. Gelatin silver print, 16 x 20 in. Collection of Sing Lathan and Bining Taylor.

Frank Stewart (American, b. 1949). Smoke and the Lovers, (or Smoke and the Lovers, Hawkins Grill), 1992 (printed 2009). Gelatin silver print, 12 3/8 x 18 1/2 in. Museum of Modern Art, New York, David H. McAlpin Fund, 1276.2009.

Frank Stewart (American, b. 1949). Clock of the Earth, Mamfe, Ghana, 1998. Inkjet print, 30 x 30 in. Andre Kimo Stone Guess and Cheryl Peterson Guess Family Collection, Louisville, KY.

Frank Stewart (American, b. 1949). Goree Island Painter (or Slave Castle Back), 2006. Chromogenic print, 35 x 42 1/2 in. Andre Kimo Stone Guess and Cheryl Peterson Guess Family Collection, Louisville, KY.

Frank Stewart (American, b. 1949). Katrina: Hammond B-3, 9th Ward, New Orleans, 2007. Inkjet print, 30 x 40 in. Collection of The Medium Group (courtesy of Larry Ossei-Mensah).