Ray Francis
self portrait ‘70
Kamoinge Workshop was a pioneering collective of African American photographers established in New York City in 1963. The founders selected the name Kamoinge, which means "a group of people acting and working together" in the Gikuyu language of Kenya, to symbolize their shared commitment to community, collective action, and a global perspective.
During the Civil Rights era and the Black Arts Movement, Kamoinge members met to share their work and discuss their artistic goals as a group. This included mentoring youth and creating exhibition spaces and publication platforms for Black photographers. They produced a diverse range of artistically excellent and innovative imagery dealing with human relationships, political life, the cultural scene, and the notion of global Black experience. They sought mentorship from elders like the photographer Roy DeCarava and paved the way for the next generation of Black artists.
The Kamoinge Workshop has been active to this day and has expanded its membership. During the Workshop's formative decades in the 1960s and 1970s, fourteen artists played a significant role in shaping Kamoinge and continue to be central to its ongoing dialogue. Nine of these artists are still living and working today. They include Anthony Barboza, Adger Cowans, C. Daniel Dawson, Louis Draper, Albert R. Fennar, Ray Francis, Herman Howard, James Mannas Jr., Herbert Randall, Herb Robinson, Beuford Smith, Ming Smith, Shawn Walker, and Calvin Wilson.
Ray Francis
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Ray Francis 〰️
Today, we will present Ray Francis, born in 1937.
A photographer and educator, Francis edited The Black Photographer’s Annual and, along with Louis Draper, was responsible for the early formation of The Kamoinge Workshop.
An early president of the Kamoinge hosted meetings at his home where members discussed photography, shared meals, and listened to music. In the summer of 1968, he and Draper taught a class for Pratt Institute’s “Campaign Culture” program in Brooklyn. Additionally, from 1967 to 1969, Francis taught a photography class at the Bedford-Stuyvesant Neighborhood Youth Corps and served as a Director of the Harlem School District, inspiring a new generation of young artists. Worked as a photographer for Intermediate School (I.S.) 201 under the NYC Board of Education. He served as the program director from 1970 to 1974.
Ray Francis dedicated most of his time to arts education. Due to the lack of non-commercial interest in photographs by black artists, he produced very few photographs. The artist passed away in 2006.
Ray Francis challenges the traditional canon of Western Art History, emphasizing the diverse nature of the black artistic experience. Influenced by Johannes Vermeer, his work reflects the style of Dutch Golden Age genre painting, characterized by a subtle interplay of light and shadow. Francis creates a sense of intimacy and narrative ambiguity in his photographs.
In 1952, Ray Francis received a twin-lens reflex camera for his fifteenth birthday, which sparked his interest in photography. He went on to form Group 35 with other black photographers in New York City, including Louis Draper, Herman Howard, and Earl James. Around the same time, Draper was also part of the Kamoinge group. In 1963, Francis suggested merging the two collectives to create The Kamoinge Workshop, a community of Black photographers focused on providing support and fostering artistic development during a time of social and political change. Before the mid-20th century Civil Rights Movement and racial integration, the U.S. was plagued by institutionalized racism, widespread racial inequality, and harmful stereotypes of African Americans perpetuated by the media. Within The Kamoinge Workshop, these photographers were able to learn from each other and capture images that portrayed their own experiences. Their work created counter-narratives that challenged white perceptions of blackness and established visual histories for future generations.
Francis viewed the camera and photography as powerful tools for social activism, but his personal photographs offer a more intimate perspective. He focused on creating aesthetic portraits and experimented with composition and light. His photographs reflect his passion for art history and his meticulous attention to detail. The images are filled with ambiguity, often inviting viewer interpretation. We think of the photo "Genie, 1971", which shows a woman sitting at a round table, lost in thought and avoiding the photographer's gaze. The composition suggests the viewer is positioned across from her, looking down at her from above.
The work of Ray Francis is remarkable for several reasons, which have become even more appreciated over time. His work today showcases several noteworthy aspects: contrast of shadow and light—in–camera experimental methods—motion blur—silhouettes. Photography like this may seem common today, but it originated from innovators like Ray Francis, influencing photographers who came after him and continues to inspire photographers today.
Ray Francis’ work is featured in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the Schomburg Collection in New York, and The J. Paul Getty Museum in California. The Bruce Silverstein Gallery in NYC hosted the first-ever exhibition of his works in February 2024. He has also been featured in articles for The New York Times, The Art Newspaper, and Aperture. His most recent feature is the article "Ray Francis, Celebrating Blackness," published in ArtDaily in February 2024.