Celebrate a Living Legend: Jim Alexander: 90th Birthday Celebration & WE ARE MUSIC Exhibition Closing

The Sun ATL 16 August 2025 
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The Sun ATL

Atlanta's First "Master Artist" Jim Alexander Celebrates 90th Birthday with Exhibition Closing on August 16th

Legendary photographer mentored by Gordon Parks to be honored in Sweet Auburn

ATLANTA, GA - Join Atlanta's cultural community in celebrating photographer Jim Alexander as he turns 90 and closes his exhibition "WE ARE MUSIC: Photographs by Jim Alexander & Sue Ross" on Saturday, August 16, 2025, from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM at The Sun ATL in Historic Sweet Auburn.

 

Since moving to Atlanta in 1976 at Mayor Maynard Jackson's invitation, Alexander has profoundly shaped the city's artistic landscape. In 1995, when the City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs launched its "Master Artist" program, Jim Alexander was the first artist chosen - a recognition of his significant impact on Atlanta's cultural community. The friendship and mentorship of renowned photographer, filmmaker, and civil rights pioneer Gordon Parks, beginning in 1968, was instrumental in shaping Alexander's artistic vision.

 

"WE ARE MUSIC" features 65 photographs documenting over five decades of Black music culture. This two-person exhibition showcases both photographers' extensive work, with highlights including Alexander's images of jazz legends Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, and Count Basie, alongside works by Sue Ross, who served as the unofficial photographer for The City of Atlanta under six African American mayors. Ross's contributions include her photographs of Miles Davis, Nina Simone, and Ray Charles, among many others.

 

The exhibition, curated by Shawn Vinson, former music photographer and co-founder/Gallery Director of The Sun ATL, presents this collection in Historic Sweet Auburn - steps from Ebenezer Baptist Church and the King Center - underscoring the intersection of music, culture, and civil rights history. The Sun ATL, a dynamic new gallery and event space serving as a cornerstone of the recently formed Edgewood Arts District, bridges Atlanta's artistic past and future.

 

Alexander, a 2006 inductee into The HistoryMakers, has influenced countless photographers and artists through his mentorship and commitment to documenting Black life in America.

 

EVENT DETAILS:

 

The gallery is open Fridays and Saturdays from 11am-5pm and weekdays by appointment through August 16th.