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Scotland Museum Honors ZUMA Photojournalist
November 3, 2005 - Dana Point, California - "Generation KKK: Passing the Torch," by ZUMA Press photojournalist James Edward Bates, opens at a major museum on Nov. 18, 2005. James and ZUMA Press are proud to be featured at the prestigious St. Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art in Glasgow, Scotland. Over the last decade, Bates has documented America's Ku Klux Klan in the Deep South, with special attention to the next generation.
The 40 provocative black-and-white images reveal that far from being a historic institution associated only with the late 19th and early 20th century, the KKK is still alive in the 21st century and actively passing on its beliefs and traditions to a new generation of members.
" 'Generation KKK' raises a number of very real issues concerning racism that Scotland is working on improving," says Alison Kelly, curator of world religions at St. Mungo Museum. "Through James' powerful images and the educational materials, public workshops and other initiatives we created to support the exhibit, we hope visitors will appreciate that racist, exclusivist and separatist ideologies come from ordinary people--fathers, mothers, teachers, children and otherwise law-abiding citizens. Not some demon 'other.' And while Scotland may not have a KKK, visitors [to the exhibit] will likely consider other forms of racism embedded in our society," she says.
Generation KKK is part of Bates' lifelong commitment to document not only racial challenges in the U.S. but throughout the world. James grew up in South Mississippi, in an area famous during the civil-rights movement of the '60s for demonstrations and violence. It was a place where African-American churches were burned to the ground as recently as the mid-1990s. Although the South has come a long way toward reconciling its diverse communities, underlying racial issues still exist.
"While everyone will take away something different from 'Generation KKK,' it will be hard to miss the message that children are a product of their upbringing," says Scott Mc Kiernan, director of editorial picture agency ZUMA Press and James Edward Bates' agent. "James has shown, with his great courage and skills as photojournalist, the backstory of this hard-core society, and by bringing these important pictures to the world, I hope we encourage dialogue," he says.
"Generation KKK: Passing the Torch"
Venue: St. Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art, Glasgow, Scotland, U.K.
Dates: Nov. 18, 2005 through Apr. 9, 2006
Websites: GenerationKKK.com & GlasgowMuseums.com/venue/index.cfm?venueid=13
For art and editorial requests, contact Trish Murphy at ZUMA Press.
Email: Trish@ZUMApress.com
Phone: 949.481.3747
Fax: 949.481.3941
Website: ZUMApress.com
About ZUMA Press
Incorporated in 1995 by photojournalists for photojournalists, ZUMA Pres is now the world's largest independent press agency and wire service. Establishing the first Website for image download back in early '90s, ZUMA now represents over 1,200 photographers worldwide and 33 of the best picture agencies around the globe, as well as over three dozen major newspapers. ZUMA photographers have won numerous awards, including the Pulitzer, World Press, BOP and POY.
ZUMA properties include: Bearing Witness Book Series, picture books that have to seen; DOUBLEtruck magazine, the ultimate showcase of cutting-edge photojournalism; Keystone Picture Agency, the best visual history of the 20th century and beyond; KONA Pictures, art and commerce with flair; zReportage.com, the high-end, elite photojournalism service; and ZUMA Press, the flagship premium wire service for news, entertainment and sports pictures!
For more information, visit ZUMApress.com.
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