Brotherly Lens: A Portrait of Philadelphia
Brotherly Lens: A Portrait of Philadelphia presents a nuanced exploration of the city through the eyes of three distinguished photographers: Eric T. Kunsman, Joseph Labolito, and Ron Tarver. Each artist offers a distinctive perspective, capturing the essence of Philadelphia, its hidden dimensions, and its ongoing transformation. Eric T. Kunsman intricately maps the city through its phone lines, revealing the stark contrasts between neighborhoods. His work prompts a critical examination of social divides and biases, encouraging reflection on the disparities that shape urban life. Joseph Labolito provides a historical and cultural portrait of Philadelphia, documenting the daily life of its neighborhoods over three decades. His images offer a rich narrative of the city's evolution, portraying its past and present with depth and sensitivity with a focus on Kensington. Ron Tarver’s work focuses on the lives of inner-city cowboys, highlighting their unique experience at the intersection of urban and rural life. Through his lens, Tarver brings to light the vibrant and complex realities of Black identities and stories within the city. Together, these photographers offer a comprehensive and introspective view of Philadelphia, inviting audiences to engage with the city’s diverse and dynamic landscape through their distinctive visions.
About the Artists
Eric T. Kunsman
Eric T. Kunsman (b. 1975) was born and raised in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. While in high school, he was heavily influenced by the death of the steel industry and its place in American history. Exposure to Walker Evans's work during this time hooked Eric onto photography. Eric had the privilege of studying under Lou Draper, who became Eric’s most formative mentor. He credits Lou with influencing his approach as an educator, photographer, and contributing human being.
Eric holds an MFA in Book Arts/Printmaking from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, an MS in Electronic Publishing/Graphic Arts Media, a BS in Biomedical Photography, and a BFA in Fine Art photography, all from the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York.
He is a photographer and book artist based out of Rochester, New York. Eric works at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) as an Assistant Professor in the Visual Communications Studies Department at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf and is an adjunct professor for the School of Photographic Arts & Sciences. He also owns Booksmart Studio, which is a fine art digital printing studio specializing in numerous techniques and services for photographers and book artists on a collaborative basis.
Eric was named one of 10 B&W photographers to watch of 2018 by BWGallerist; B&W Best Photographers of the Year 2019 by Dodho Magazine; won the Association of Photography (UK) Gold Award for Open Series in 2019; Finalist, Top 200 Critical Mass 2019, 2020, 2021; Top 50 Critical Mass in 2022; Top 15 Photographers for the Rust Belt Biennial; and Lensculture B&W Jurors’ Pick 2021. His Project Felicific Calculus was also awarded a Warhol Foundations Grant through CEPA Gallery in Buffalo, NY.
Eric has held 39 solo exhibitions and counting. His work has been exhibited in over 250 galleries and museums and featured in Bloomberg Businessweek, Harper’s Magazine, LensWork, Loupe Magazine, Dodho, B&W Photography, Analog Explorations, All About Photo, Black+White Photography (UK), and Dek Unu. He has also been featured in online articles by Analog Forever Magazine, Catalyst: Interview, Texas Photo Society, and others.
Artist's Statement
Life-Lines Throughout the United States
This body of work is a companion series to my project, “Felicific Calculus: Technology as a Social Marker of Race, Class, & Economics in Rochester, NY,” to demonstrate how communities throughout the United States are facing the same dire situation. Throughout the United States, many individuals are being left behind by technology, whether that is for communication or Internet access. Our society has become one in which you must have access to these tools to be provided support services and a job, or you are left behind, widening the gap between the lower and middle classes.
Often, this outdated technology is also used to label individuals or areas of a community where they can be found as social markers without further knowledge. The individuals I have met who still rely on payphones have stated, "I hate how people look at me like I am doing something wrong when I am using the payphone.” Those individuals have explained that they are typically calling their families to check in or for support.
My work aims to raise the following questions: how do we ensure access to basic needs for a sustainable community, such as communication, shelter, and food, without labeling those relying on support?
Why has the United Kingdom decided to save their iconic payphones, convert them to digital ones, and install other emergency necessities such as defibrillators in the red booths?
Once the payphones are gone, how will we communicate in a natural disaster similar to Hurricane Katrina & Sandy?
The payphone may be a symbol of a different era. Still, we must remember how we use technology as a social marker and often forget those individuals who cannot keep up with fundamental technological advancements.
Joseph V. Labolito
Joseph V. Labolito was born and raised in the Frankford-Oxford Circle section of Philadelphia. He began his photography career working with portrait studios while still in high school. Over time, his work expanded to include a variety of subjects such as still life, architecture, health care, athletics, set design, and special effects.
For over four decades, Joe has been capturing the vibrant essence of the city of Philadelphia. His collection of photographs documents this city of neighborhoods, creating a deeply personal and authentic perspective. These images are not just snapshots, they are a reflection of the city from the inside out, inviting viewers worldwide to journey through time to celebrate the progress and evolution of Philadelphia.
His work is in numerous public and private collections, including the Special Collections Research Center in the Charles Library at Temple University and the Free Library’s Print and Picture Collection, which houses nearly 1,300 images.
Artist's Statement
My images in Brotherly Lens are drawn from 3 portfolios originally commissioned by the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Print and Picture Dept. 1982 Frankford Elevated Train, 1987 McPhearson Square Kensington and 1987 Major Intersections onKensington Ave. Kensington at that time was still a functioning “Blue Collar” neighborhood.
It was showing signs of wear from the flight of its factories and manufacturing base moving to the south and overseas in the 60s and 70s but in the 1980s it was still neighborhood of row homes that families kept up, kids played outside, and Kensington Avenue was busy with shops and traffic. At the time I tried to show the resilience of the neighborhood and the families that lived in the neighborhood. My images in this exhibit are a sharp contrast to the toll the opioid epidemic has taken on not just Kensington but Philadelphia and the nation. Somewhere in all the media coverage and addiction porn on social media the families and the people that still live there are no longer seen.
Joseph V. Labolito's work in Brotherly Lens was funded in part by the Office of Vice President for Research, Temple University.
Ron Tarver
Ron Tarver received a BA in Journalism and Graphic Arts from Northeastern State University in Oklahoma and an MFA from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. He is an Associate Professor of Art at Swarthmore College. Before joining the faculty at Swarthmore, he had been a staff photojournalist at The Philadelphia Inquirer for 32 years, where he shares the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for his work on a series documenting school violence in the Philadelphia public school system. During his time at the Inquirer, he was nominated for three Pulitzers and honored with awards from World Press Photos, the Sigma Delta Chi Award of the Society of Professional Journalists, the National Profession National Press Photographers Association/ University of Missouri Pictures of the Year, as well as other national, state, and local honors.
In addition to his newspaper publications, Tarver's work has appeared in National Geographic, Life, Time, Newsweek, Sports Illustrated, Ebony, Jet, Black and White Magazine, Huffington Post, and Hyperallergic. He is a co-author of the book We Were There: Voices of African American Veterans, published by Harper Collins in 2004, which was accompanied by a traveling exhibition that debuted at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.
Tarver has distinguished himself in the field of fine art photography. A recipient of Guggenheim and Pew Fellowships, he has also received grants and funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and two Independence Foundation Fellowships. He was named one of the Delaware Valley's "50 Rising Stars in the Arts" by Seven Arts Magazine and is a Fellow of the Center for Emerging Visual Artists. He is a former trustee of the TILT Center for the Contemporary Image and now serves on its advisory council.
Tarver's work has been exhibited nationally and internationally in over 30 solo and 50 group exhibitions. It is included in many private, corporate, and museum collections, including the National Museum of American Art of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Studio Museum in Harlem, the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg, Oklahoma History Center, and many other corporate and private collections. His work is represented by the Robin Rice Gallery in New York and Grand Image in Seattle.
Artist's Statement
From the concrete jungles of the Northeast to the endless skies of the great West, and all that lays in between, the cowboy spirit thrives. The Long Ride Home comprises of photos exploring the lives of Black cowboys - men, women, and children. These are the multifaceted narratives intentionally forgotten in the great American myth of the West. The portraits reaffirm this thriving culture of Black-owned ranches, rodeo operations, parades, inner-city cowboys, retired cowhands and young rodeo clowns. Few people are aware of the historical role that Black cowboys have played in the West, while still others question their authenticity. The image of the white male cowboy remains deeply ingrained in American culture, a vision rooted in segregation and anti-immigrant rhetoric.
