Kristin Bedford photographs, 1930s-2018

Navigate the Collection

Using These Materials Teaser

Using These Materials Links:

Using These Materials


Restrictions:
Access is partially restricted. Original audiovisual materials are closed to use (CD-ROM in Perfect Picture series). Use of these materials may require production of listening or viewing copies....
More about accessing and using these materials...

Summary

Creator:
Bedford, Kristin
Abstract:
Kristin Bedford is a photographer based in Los Angeles. The 172 color photographs taken by Bedford from 2012 to 2018, derive from three projects: "Be Still: A Storefront Church in Durham," which consists of images of African American worshippers and their pastor in Durham, North Carolina; "The Perfect Picture," images from the multi-racial Peace Mission Movement religious community, founded by Father and Mother Divine in the 1930s, and the community's estate, Woodmont, near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Bedford's latest work, "Cruise Night," a photographic essay on the lowrider community in Los Angeles, California. The "Perfect Picture" prints are accompanied by a variety of related materials (1930s-1990s), including movement publications and print ephemera, historical photographs, a CD of sermons, memorabilia, and other items; materials in this project speak to race relations in the 20th century, the civil rights movement, and African American religious culture. All three projects include a set of large color inkjet exhibit prints as well as a duplicate set of smaller handling prints, and an essay written by the photographer for each project. Acquired as part of the Archive of Documentary Arts at Duke University.
Extent:
10 Linear Feet (15 boxes)
Language:
Materials in English
Collection ID:
RL.10156

Background

Scope and content:

The photographic work in the Kristin Bedford collection derives from three projects undertaken by Bedford from 2012 to 2018. The images explore three very different communities in the United States: two religious communities and their expressions of beliefs and faith, one in North Carolina and one in Pennsylvania, and the culture and identity of Mexican American lowriders in Los Angeles.

The project titled "Be Still: A Storefront Church in Durham" offers portraits of an African American community of worshippers of the Apostolic Deliverance Rebirth Outreach Ministries, in Durham, North Carolina. Images show the congregation as well as their church building.

"The Perfect Picture" project documents the daily lives of the remaining members of the International Peace Mission Movement, a multi-racial religious community founded by Father Divine in New York State in the 1930s, and was photographed at the community's estate, "Woodmont," near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The project title, "Perfect Picture," refers to Father Divine's use of photography as an analogy for creating a perfect life of faith and unity. The color inkjet photographs are accompanied by a variety of related materials (1930s-1990s): publications, photographs, some correspondence, a CD of sermons, memorabilia, and other items. The "Perfect Picture" project offers insights into race relations in the United States; African American religion; religious life in New York State and Pennsylvania; the 20th century civil rights movement; and the utopian philosophies of U.S. religious communities in the 20th century.

The "Cruise Nights" project, undertaken by Bedford in 2014, gives insights into the lowrider community of Los Angeles. The photographs are intense color close-ups of customized car exteriors and interiors, their drivers and passengers, and the lowriders cruising down expansive Los Angeles boulevards; the images emphasize not only the lowriders and their cars, but also the interplay of self-expression, gender, and photography.

All three projects include a set of large color inkjet exhibit prints as well as a duplicate set of smaller 11x17 or 13x19 inch handling prints for research use. A short essay for each project written by the photographer is included in each box of handling prints.

Biographical / historical:

Located at the intersection of aesthetics and social realism, Kristin Bedford's photography explores race, visual stereotypes and communal self-expression. Through long-term engagement with communities, Bedford makes photographs that invite us to reconsider prevalent visual narratives around cultural and spiritual movements.

Bedford's work is held in private and public collections worldwide. Her photographs have appeared in group exhibitions in England, France, Spain and Malta, and in solo shows in the United States. Bedford holds a B.A. from George Washington University, an A.A. from The Fashion Institute of Technology and an M.F.A. from Duke University. Based in Los Angeles, Bedford works on photography projects across the U.S.

Acquisition information:
The Kristin Bedford photographs were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a purchase in 2013 and 2019.
Processing information:

Processed by: Levi Crews, Paula Jeannet, June 2014

Addition processed and encoded by: Paula Jeannet and Holly Ren, January 2020.

Accessions represented in this collection guide: 2013-0207, 2020-0003.

Arrangement:

Photographic prints in each series are in original order as assigned by the photographer.

Physical facet:
172 photographic prints; approximately 75 related items
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Contents

Using These Materials

Using These Materials Links:

Using These Materials


Restrictions:

Access is partially restricted.

Original audiovisual materials are closed to use (CD-ROM in Perfect Picture series). Use of these materials may require production of listening or viewing copies.

Please contact the Rubenstein Library before coming to use these materials.

Access partially restricted. Oversize exhibit prints in Perfect Picture and Be Still series are closed to general use due to their size; duplicate handling prints are available in each series.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

Before you visit:
Please consult our up-to-date information for visitors page, as our services and guidelines periodically change.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Kristin Bedford photographs, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.