Jim Alexander

Jim Alexander (born August 7, 1935) is an American documentary photographer, photojournalist, activist, and teacher who is best known for being a "Participant Observer" and his photographs of human rights and black culture. In 1995, he was the first artist selected in the annual "Master Artist" program conducted by the City of Atlanta Department of Cultural Affairs. He would later be inducted into The HistoryMakers in 2006.

Early life Alexander was born James Alexander on August 7, 1935, in Waldwick, New Jersey as one of 12 children to auto mechanic David Alexander, and Frances James Alexander. He attended Waldwick Public School and Ramsey High School. He grew up during a time where the opportunities for Blacks in America to economically advance were few. Immediately putting his new camera to use, Alexander sold photographs to the other sailors for fifty cents each. After leaving the Navy in 1956, Alexander put photography on hold for several years.

During the height of the human rights movement, Alexander began documenting the anti-war and civil rights movement, and later the local and national responses to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination in 1968. by Jim Alexander that same year. The center was constructed in the image of Atlanta's first African American Mayor, Maynard Jackson. In 1977, Alexander became photographer in residence at The NAC. He was proactive in maintaining the historical values The NAC instituted. In 1978, Alexander documented a historic visit to the NAC by Romare Bearden, a legendary artist and author, and his wife Nanette Bearden.

First World Bookstore The love for education, reading, and black culture led Alexander to be a co-founder of First World Bookstores in Atlanta, GA during 1988. The store specialized in predominately African American books, gifts, and art; which eventually expanded to five bookstores in the metropolitan area until 1994. Alexander is also a member of the American Photography Archives Group, (APAG) which is a 501(c)(3) non-profit resource organization for individuals who own or manage a privately held photography archive. Alexander belongs to the National Alliance of Artists from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (NAAHBU) which is an organization founded on May 19, 2000, on Morris Brown College campus in Atlanta, Georgia. The organization features artists that have taught, studied, or worked in art departments and programs at HBCUs. 2018: The Spiritual Beauty & Resilience in America, National Center for the Study of Civil Rights and African-American Culture, Montgomery, AL. Group Show 2017: The Spiritual Beauty & Resilience in America, Warren-Britt Gallery, Alabama State University, Montgomery, AL. Group Show 2017: Jim Alexander: Preserving the Legacy, Chace Upper Gallery, Emory University, Atlanta, GA. Solo Show 2017: Soulful Images by Jim Alexander, APEX Museum, Atlanta, GA. Solo Show 2017: The Atlanta Jazz Festival in Photographs, Arnika Dawkins Gallery, Atlanta, GA. Group Show 2017: Atlanta Jazz Festival: Forty Years, Chastain Art Gallery. Atlanta, GA. Group Show 2016: Jim Alexander: Participant Observer, Tubman African American Museum, Macon, GA. Solo Show 2015: On Being Black, Arnika Dawkins Gallery. Atlanta, GA. Group Show 2014: Romare at the NAC, Fulton County Arts and Culture Southwest Arts Center, Atlanta, GA. Solo Show 2014: Southern Connections: Bearden in Atlanta, Emory University's Michael C. Carlos Museum. Atlanta, GA. Invitational 2013: Congo Square to Symphony Hall, Lamar Dodd Art Center. Lagrange, GA. Solo Show 2012: The Quest for Black Citizenship in the Americas, Gallery of Art, Bowie State University, Bowie, MD. Group Show 2012: In the Tradition, Buckhead Library, Atlanta, GA. Solo Show 2011: Black Music After 1968: The Photography of Jim Alexander, Harvey B. Gantt Center, Charlotte, NC. Solo Show 2009: Blues Roots and Branches, Central Library Art Gallery, Atlanta, GA. Solo Show 2009: Faces in the Arts: Through the Lens of Jim Alexander, Southwest Arts Center Performance Theater and Gallery, Atlanta, GA. Solo Show 2009: Jazz Photography by Jim Alexander, Hayti Heritage Center, Durham, NC. Solo Show 2008: Classic Jazz: Photos by Jim Alexander, The Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Toronto, Ontario Canada. Solo Show 2008: Peace, Unity North Atlanta Church. Atlanta, GA. Solo Show 2008: The Masters Series Reunion, City Gallery East, Atlanta, GA. Group Show 2007: Spirits / Martyrs / Heroes, Broadway & LRC Galleries. Passaic County Community College, Paterson, NJ. Solo Show 2006: Jazz, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Atlanta, GA. Solo Show 2005: A Century of African-American Art: Selections from The Paul R. Jones Collection, Museum of Fine Art, Spelman College, Atlanta, GA. Group Show 2005: Jim Alexander: Photographer, Hammond's House Galleries, Atlanta, GA. Solo Retrospective Show 2005: Return to the Source, Benjamin and Jeanette Cox Gallery, Avery Research Center. Charleston, SC. Solo Show 2004: Jim Alexander Photographs From the Darlene and Herbert Charles Collection, African-American Hall of Fame, Morehouse College. Atlanta, GA. Solo Show 2003: Enduring Legacy: Photographs by Jim Alexander, Schatten Gallery, Emory University. Atlanta, GA. Solo Show 2002: Jim Alexander: Photographer, Atlanta History Center. Atlanta, GA. Solo Show 2000: Still Here: Swinging, Jazz Photographs by Jim Alexander, NBAF 2000, Virginia Lacy Jones Exhibition Hall. Atlanta University Center, Atlanta, GA. Solo Show 1999: An All Ellington Evening, Birmingham Museum of Art. Birmingham, AL. Solo Show 1993 – 1996: Beyond Category: The Musical Genius of Duke Ellington, National Museum of American History. Washington, D. C. Three-Year National Tour, Invitational 1995: Jim Alexander: Telling Our Story, City Gallery East. Atlanta, GA. Inaugural Atlanta Masters Exhibit. Solo Show (Atlanta Olympics) 1990: Art is Jazz / Jazz is Art, Museum of African American Art. Los Angeles, CA. Invitational 1988 – 1989: Duke and Other Legends: Jazz Photographs by Jim Alexander, Exhibit Toured Museums and Galleries in Ten Southern States. Solo Show 1988: Blues Legacy, Apex Museum. Atlanta, GA. Solo Show 1986: Atlanta Artists, Lunds Kunsthall Sweden. Lund, Sweden. Group Show

Collections Works by Alexander are held in the following collections: Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC Paul R. Jones Collections University of Alabama & University of Delaware Atlanta University Center Collection, Atlanta, GA Harvey B. Gantt Center Collection, Atlanta, GA Auburn Avenue Research Library, Atlanta, GA Yale University, New Haven, CT Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport Art Collection, Atlanta, GA Clark Atlanta University Collection, Atlanta, GA Maynard Jackson, Atlanta, GA Charleston Jazz Initiative Archives, Charleston, SC Hammonds House Museum, Atlanta, GA City of Atlanta Art Collection, Atlanta, GA Fulton County Arts Collection, Atlanta, GA Bunnie Jackson-Ransom, Atlanta, GA Calvin W. McLarin, MD, Atlanta, GA Clark Atlanta University Collection, Atlanta, GA Maynard Jackson, Atlanta, GA Metro Atlanta Cardiology Consultants, Atlanta, GA Southwest Dialysis Clinic, Atlanta, GA William Cleveland, MD, Atlanta, GA