“My work is an impulse, a dream, but first and foremost an idea that
excites and nags me until it is finally executed. I am also very grateful for the help I
receive from the unknown forces that create the mistakes and happy accidents that keep
you on course during the process of creating. My reward comes from those who sense the
same thrill I get when the work is complete.”
Joe Harris
Joseph Harris, an award winning photographer, artist and teacher known affectionately as "Joe" to his family, friends and colleagues was born in Greenville, SC on March 12, 1940. When he was an infant he moved with his family to Washington, DC and later on to Harlem, NYC when he was 12. After graduating from the High School of Art and Design, he went on to attend the Pratt Institute, one of the top art colleges in the world. He was a professor of photography at The City College of New York from 1985 until his death in 2003.
Throughout Joe's life, Harlem remained his homestead and a pivotal force in his social, professional and artistic life. With his camera always set to go, Joe documented the community's life in all its beauty and complexity. With Harlem and the church as his inspiration, some of Harris's most important work was selected by The Smithsonian and was featured with work from renowned fine artist, Jacob Lawrence.
Joe was an innovator. He was a pioneer in the use of the color copier as a photographic tool, with work appearing in national and international publications. His photography has been exhibited at the Camera Club of New York, Franklin Furnace, The Schomburg and the American Institute of Graphic Artists.
In 1996, Joe was the recipient of the New York foundation of the Arts Artists Fellowship Grant and the Heathcote award from the Westchester Arts Council for his "Red, White, Black and Blue a visual guide to slang project. January 30, 1998 was declared "Joe Harris Day" by the Westchester Board of Legislators for his outstanding contributions to the arts.
In 1972 by Art Direction Magazine, Joe was recognized in the select company of such greats as Richard Avedon, Annie Liebowitz, and Francesco Scavullo. In 1997, Vivian Raynor, a noted art critic for the New York Times said of Joe's work "it seems to follow in the footsteps of James Van Der Zee with the exception Joe's subject did not have the furried beauties and snappily dressed men caught by his predecessor in the 1930s which is in line with him keeping tabs on Harlem for the last 30 yrs."
Email: estateofjoeharris@gmail.com