Letter16 Press
Newbie
If you’re in South Florida, several of Al Kaplan’s 1960s photographs of Provincetown’s bohemian scene are included in a new exhibition at the Stonewall National Museum & Archives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida: “The Lure Of Provincetown.”
From a recent story about the show in the Sun-Sentinel newspaper:
“Like a New England lighthouse, the small Cape Cod town of Provincetown has beckoned artists and gay and lesbian visitors for decades. A new exhibit called “The Lure of Provincetown,” opening Dec. 16 at the Stonewall National Museum — Wilton Manors Gallery, explores the vibrant history and gay culture of the seaside Massachusetts town through a series of photographs and paintings… Kaplan spent five summers during the 1960s shooting the everyday life of bohemians and gay denizens in this artsy colony. His black-and-white photos of same-sex couples openly conveying their love and being free were published earlier this year in a book titled, “There Was Always A Place To Crash: Al Kaplan's Provincetown 1961-1966,” edited by Miami Beach journalist Brett Sokol. Kaplan died in 2009.”
The museum did a beautiful job of framing Al’s prints and they look great up on the wall there. For folks who are curious to see the book from which the photos are drawn, there’s a copy on display and available for browsing as part of the show.
Admission is free and the exhibition runs through January 29:
www.stonewall-museum.org/event/the-lure-of-provincetown-public-exhibit-opening/
www.stonewall-museum.org/visit/
www.sun-sentinel.com/features/sfl-provincetown-photo-exhibit-at-stonewall-museum-20161213-story.html
I’ll just add that I think Al would be tickled to see his ‘60s work now highlighted by museum curators as a way to help uncover history. After all, at the time Al and his friends – both straight and gay – were simply living their lives as Al captured it all on film. But it was precisely that casual approach (married to Al’s skilled eye) that produced such an intimate portrait of a particular time and place.
Cheers,
Brett Sokol
Letter16 Press co-founder and editor
Miami, Florida
www.letter16press.com
charjohncarter
Veteran
That is so great, too bad Al can't enjoy it or make some of his Parthian malice comments.
We all miss Al here, at least I do.
We all miss Al here, at least I do.