Emilie Boone, summer 2024 Clark Fellow and author of A Nimble Arc: James Van Der Zee and Photography, speaks with Sara Houghteling, special projects coordinator at the Clark, about the overlooked facets of Van Der Zee’s photographic legacy. In A Nimble Arc, Boone positions Van Der Zee at the intersection of art and the vernacular, reshaping our perception of this iconic figure and the role of photography in the tapestry of everyday Black life. Boone is a finalist for the National Book Critic's Circle first book award for scholarship on Van Der Zee.

Free. Accessible seats available; for information, call 413 458 0524. A book signing follows the talk. Copies of A Nimble Arc: James Van Der Zee and Photography will be available for purchase at the talk and in the Museum Store.

Image: James Van Der Zee, Wedding Day, Harlem (detail), 1926, printed 1974, gelatin silver print. The Clark, gift of Frank and Katherine Martucci, 2021.5