Introduction by Pioneer Works curator Vivian Chui

In 1971, Alex Harsley founded the organization Minority Photographers, Inc. as a way to provide resources for a cohort of emerging photographers who frequented the East Village and the Lower East Side. For the first five years of its existence, the artist self-published a newsletter alongside his longtime partner Shelagh Krueger, who provided administrative support to the organization and lovingly typeset each issue. Disseminated by mail to a list that numbered in the thousands—Krueger jokes that she remains known at the local USPS office, still to this day—the newsletters became a primary source of information about the happenings of a then-burgeoning photography scene in New York City.

Far more than an advertising tool for upcoming workshops and field trips, Harsley’s newsletters functioned as an outlet for him to document exhibitions taking place elsewhere in the city, to further engage with his community, and, at times, to air his grievances about the many trials and tribulations that come with fundraising for an independent arts organization. Most issues began with a recurring column titled “THE PERSON, THE CAMERA, AND THE IMAGE,” wherein the artist not only reflected on the organization itself but also ruminated on human perception, the surrounding world, and the state of contemporary photography as he saw it.

Kendra Krueger, the pair’s daughter, has recently embarked on an endeavor to archive the newsletters alongside Harsley’s lifework. To celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Minority Photographers, Inc., Broadcast has selected four excerpts from the column—viewable below, transcribed with the original spellings and punctuations.

- Vivian Chui

A newsletter and archival photographs from Minority Photographers, Inc.’s early days, displayed within Alex Harsley: The First Light From Darkness at Pioneer Works, June 5 - August 22, 2021. Courtesy of the artist and Pioneer Works.Photo by Dan Bradica.

October 8, 1971

Part I

First of all, we must proceed to understand the meaning behind the word photography and the function of the mind in relating to this reality. We all see things on many levels relating to our general past which has played an important role in our basic existence, such as knowing that fire and water serve two basic functions. Through instinct we have learned to use these two elements. In fact, we have reached a point where these are merely taken for granted, such as the mind of the individual. We all seek and strive for something in time. Very rarely do the things we seek shine in the light of time. In rare instances something totally new is created. Then the creation is shown off like a toy to all people. The means of doing this is through the various mediums of photograph, which reaches into the many psychic levels of imagination. Recognition is the key factor. We have been all taught to rely on this. Certain things are photographed in color and others in black & white when the details of reality produces a confusion of many colors that is translated through the optical transfer of the senses. Many studies have been set aside to probe this medium. Out of this study many things have been learned about the process involving the perception of vision. Photographic artists have long been aware of this process though they haven’t been able to use the things they know because of the lack of recognition on the part of the people in the outside world.

TO BE CONTINUED.

Cover of Minority Photographers, Inc. newsletter, 8th Issue, November 15, 1971. Courtesy of Minority Photographers, Inc.

November 15, 1971

Part III

First before we continue our trip through this tri-stimulus reality, a level of recognition must be built up with an absolute constant that will allow us the freedom to think without the use of prior thoughts with conflicting objectives to gain an adequate fingerhold on this mountain built on complex thoughts. We must understand light and the properties that it interacts with. Light as we know it today travels basically at one speed in time and it is seen in variable gradient composed of an infinite number of colors when it is reflected from matter. Light is made up of particles called protons whose atomic weight varies with the kinetic energy that it carries which allows it to span through many dimensions including our own time. Since we live in a spectrum with a very high decay rate the perception of time and light based on a system of many interference methods must be forgotten and on this level of recognition we will proceed. Now as we look through this ancient instrument called a camera we begin to understand the formation of time and light, i.e. (shutter and diaphragm) we will try to understand the medium which exists and separates the two which is the mind of the individual. This subtle active medium governs the active stimuli it receives by reason and judgement which can be put on the platform with the space time differential.

Cover of Minority Photographers, Inc. newsletter, 19th Issue, May 23, 1972.Courtesy of Minority Photographers, Inc.

May 23, 1972

Part XIV - 19th Issue

Occupied Spaces, Part 1

The modern day photographer really has it made. Automatic lenses that focus for you, light meters that dial in the proper exposure, cameras that fit into your pocket, lenses that range from ultra wide angel to telephoto and on and on and on. I can’t help but to think about two pioneers, “oops,” three pioneers in photography. The first Nicephore Niepce and his brother Claude who held the key to the secret of photography, that is they provided a working system for the other two pioneers in photography. The other two pioneers were Louis Jaques Mande Daguerre and William Henry Fox Talbot (contributing), most of you are aware of these names without really being aware of the involved story surrounding these names. Especially their contributing part in bringing phorography into its own. All three were concerned with a workable system to get a permanent image of reality, though very little information, if any, is available today. In the work they bring to being about yesterday one can begin to conside all the fancy tools, that is equipment, that is available to bring this about, such as light meters that give you readings in almost total darkness, lenses that encompass a viewing area of 360 °. It seems like one important part which is the most important part has been forgotten. That is the film, an important area of thought to be considered since it seems to be the weaker link in the chain in duplicating reality. If a light meter is able to give you a reading in almost total darkness will the film also be able to register an image or even better will you be able to set the camera speed for the length of time as shown by the light meter, especially if the light meter calls for a speed and range of say 2 minutes and some of you technical minded people will think in terms of the film failing at this long exposure time, which is generally referred to as reciprocity. Also one must consider the wide range of films on the market. What I mean are single purpose films. With all the technology that’s available why not try to do what the old pioneers dreamed up, that is duplicating reality as it exists in real time. Many other pioneers who some how or another have been forgotten or not even known at all, who sought to explore the concept of reality as it existed in the looking glass. One pioneer was Gabriel Lippman who was working on a system of 3 dimensional photography on a 2 dimensional plane. His system and figures wasn’t really feasible during his time because the necessary technology that his system required wasn’t there. He imagined photographing a scene, duplicating it on a 2 dimensional plane and having it come off in the individuals mind as a real time situation.

Today this system that he thought up and devised has gone through many changes and to an extend is totally unrecognizable. This new system of photography is called holography and is an indirect system on a reversal psychological process. What is meant by this is the system that Gabriel brought into existence required a huge amount of reflected light and the system that’s used today uses this process is a reverse manner. That is an image is recorded by reflecting lazer light off of reality (subject being photographed) and the film that’s available today is used as a recording medium. If this recording medium was replaced by his medium one would begin to understand where photography is today. The medium that he used was grainless, which meant that the noise level of the recording medium was almost at a total minimum. What is meant by noise level is the amount of irregularities that inhibit the individual from seeing the true image.

Cover of Minority Photographers, Inc. newsletter, 38th Issue, December 24, 1973.Courtesy of Minority Photographers, Inc.

December 24, 1973

Part XXXI - 38th Issue

TO WHAT PURPOSE A LEAF

If you’re into the photographic arts you’ve probably heard about A.D. Coleman. If you haven’t he’s one of this country’s main photographic arts critics, who writes for various photographic publications and also the N.Y. TIMES, an influencial tabloid.

Sometime ago A.D. Wrote a review of one of my shows stating that I was going through a change and was striking out in many directions who’s ultimate fusion was unknown. Unknown to him at that time was the changes he to was to go through. As of this writing A.D. is 29 years old, his personal life has undergone many radical changes.

A.D. got his start in the photographic writing field in the latter part of the 60s up until 1972, when he got to the crest of the wave there was a noticeable difference by those who were following him closely, which began to appear in his writing. Before that he was a very prolific writer who roamed at the will of nature. Many of you probably remember the generation of the 60s. Have you everasked yourself whatever happened to the flower generation and those who were seeking to bring a new consciousness to their immediate reality and those of others. It seems as though most experienced a problem on this level and got very hung up with their own conscious reality which sapped their will to understand and relate to others. In this instance, the individual, mainly A.D., who is an artist whose works, no matter how directed, influences a la large number of people and perhaps this is necessary since many of his generation are undergoing personal internal change. As an artist myself, though of less stature, I realize what effect this change has on the creative artist and probably to others. A couple of months before A.D. gave up his column in the VILLAGE VOICE small signals began to appear in his writing which to me and probably to others, were signs of distress. At present time A.D. is reframing his life and it seems as though his writing has also undergone a dramatic change. He no longer covers the entire photographic field. His writing is directed towards the status quo of photography, which is the Museum of Modern Art, which he sees as the guiding light in the art field. As a friend of A.D. and a photographer that is involved in trying to bring the recognition to lesser known photographers, a question to this direction is raised.

Since A.D. Coleman is a close neighbor, an appoint was made to interview him about the particular state of affairs and to understand why his coverage of the photographi arts was being narrowed down. This interview was put on tape and the word by word conversation will appear for the next couple of newsletters to give you an idea of what’s happening in the higher echelons of the photographic arts. ♦