Earlie Hudnall Jr Hip Hop Galveston

Earlie Hudnall, Jr. (b. 1946)
Hip Hop Galveston, 1993
silver gelatin print
signed verso
18-1/2 x 15 inches
framed

Earlie Hudnall was born and raised in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. His sense of community within his family and that of the African-American culture is what helped shape his work as an artist. Hudnall began photography while serving as a Marine in the Vietnam War in the 1960’s. In 1968, he relocated to Houston to attend Texas Southern University and received his BA in Art Education. There he found the encouragement to continue photographing his subject matter of the everyday for African-Americans in the South. Hudnall made Houston his permanent home and has been working as the university photographer at Texas Southern University since 1990.

Hudnall is a board member for the Houston Center for Photography and an Executive Board member in the Texas Photographic Society. His work has been influential in the portrayal of the African-American community and culture. The director of Academy Award winner for Best Picture in 2017, Moonlight, mentioned Hudnall as visual inspiration on how the film should depict African-Americans both aesthetically and symbolically.

While Hudnall was teaching photography at the Galveston Art Center in 1993 he would journey through the Cedar Terrace housing project taking photographs. He encountered this young boy who asked him to take his picture.
Condition Report: Generally good condition. No visible holes, tears, or abrasions. Not examined out of frame.