A Very Incomplete Self-Portrait: Tom Dorsey's Chicago Portfolio
A VERY INCOMPLETE SELF-PORTRAIT presents never before exhibited works by celebrated photographer Thomas Dorsey (American, b. 1937). Widely known for his intimate portraits of African American families in their homes in Chicago and Atlanta, Dorsey also photographed the streets, homes, and buildings of his childhood neighborhood on Chicago's West Side. This portfolio of black and white photographs, taken while Dorsey was enrolled at the Art Institute of Chicago, reveal the barren infrastructure of an underserved community and the resilience and stark beauty that can be discovered amidst bleak circumstances.
The title of the exhibition relates that place deeply informed Dorsey's self-identity, but also that it would not define him. Dorsey experienced isolation as a child. He felt different from his peers, which he attributes in part to a head injury sustained during his youth. He became increasingly engrossed in the mechanics of how things work–building model airplanes in grade school, later modifying cars and motorcycles and teaching himself to write music. The multiple and complex processes of photography suited Dorsey, as did its documentary potential.
Undertaking this project marked an effort to document the pervading physical and spiritual coldness that he felt during childhood. He remarks, "I did not grow up understanding my young life or feel like I was understood by those around me, which left me confused.
The photographs were my attempt, at that point, to save, in a visual form, my feelings for interpretation later in life." The photographs in A Very Incomplete Self-Portrait are deeply personal; for Dorsey, they are preserved memories and emotions that he revisited, re-interpreted, and made useful over time. They are also extraordinary historical documents of 1971 Chicago, recreated in a walk through Dorsey's neighborhood. In 2022, the artist gifted the portfolio to the Carlos with the hope that others might find the images useful.
During the summer of 2022, Andrew W. Mellon intern Anna Clark and Curator of Works on Paper Andi McKenzie interviewed Dorsey about A Very Incomplete Self-Portrait so that his voice and memories could provide context for the exhibition. Access the audio guide and video project, which were generated from these interviews, HERE.
This exhibition has been made possible through generous support from the Daniel Schulz Works on Paper Support Fund, the Massey Charitable Trust, and the Daniel Schulz Internship Endowment.
View a conversation with Dorsey and fellow celebrated Atlanta photographer, Jim Alexander, moderated by Carlton Mackey, assistant director, community dialogue and engagement, at the High Museum of Art and co-creator/co-director of Emory University’s Arts and Social Justice Fellows Program, HERE. The conversation was held in conjunction with A Very Incomplete Self Portrait and Dare to Explore: Emory University's Arts and Social Justice Program, which featured Alexander's work alongside that of other Emory Social Justice Fellows, in the Schatten Gallery in Emory's Woodruff Library, March 17-May 13, 2023.
