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Joe Schwartz Biography and PublicationsMy parents, Rose Mandel from Poland and Samuel Schwartz from Romania, emigrated to and met in New York. Joseph, (that's me) born July 6, 1913 in Williamsburgh, Brooklyn, on the top floor of a wooden tenement house owned by Uncle Benny at 47 Humboldt Street, corner Varet. I attended P.S. 129 in Brooklyn and finished grammar school called Monte Vista School in Highland Park, Los Angeles. 1928 -1 year at Franklin High School in Highland Park, Calif. 1929-1933 attended Alexander Hamilton High School., a boy's commercial school in Brooklyn, N. Y. Among other subjects, commercial art was the one I concentrated on. Experimented with cheap camera to gather ideas and reference materials for art. 1933 Rode the rods, box cars, the blinds of passenger trains across country to California and back working as a deckboy on a Richfield oil tanker. Saw vets and their families going East as I was going West (Bonus march). Gained worldly education. 1933-1936 Soon after, became activist, engaged in street politics, became obsessed with proving that “have nots”, especially among ethnic people, possessed high values. Focused photography on people of dignity in that class. Helped formulate petitions and participated in demonstrations to pressure politicians to favor housing projects and playgrounds for the poor and to remind them of the need for jobs for the unemployed. 1934 Short stay at Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, taught me fundamentals in art composition. No dough -no higher schooling. 1936 First $8.00 a week job with Haloid Paper Co. then to a $12.00 a week job learning lithography as a tuscher-joined union - NRA got me $16.00 a week. 1936-38 Friend Dave Robbins, member and instructor at the Photo League and freelance magazine photographer, led me to Photo League. Sid Grossman was president. 1938-48 Worked in DeVinne Browne Corp. Polygraphic Co.. National Litho Co. - Kipe Offset Co. - last job in New York City with a trade shop owned by Mr. Knudsen. Through him I met his friend Edward Steichen. 1939 Had a workshop for a short time on New York City's ethnic groups - Photo League. 1939 Married modem dancer, Anne Paley (Jane Dudley's New Dance Group). Lived on St. Marks Ave, now part of Soho Village, N. Y. City. 1941 Worked in Litho department at Raritan Arsenal, New Jersey. 1943 Joined Marine Corps on staff of Leatherneck Magazine. Transferred from Washington D.C. as combat photographer -5th Marine Div. Served in war on Iwo Jima from D-Day till end of campaign. Shipped back to Hawaii; a WW II casualty. Met Gene Smith while on the island, worked with him on assignment he had to fulfill for "Life". He was the Photo League's last president before WW II. 1945 Bell Telephone full page ads in several magazines-used war photo of marine communicating-pleading for support from ships offshore of Iwo. 1945 Iwo Jima edition of 5th Division "Spearhead" magazine. 1945 Weekly publication of International Events used Iwo photo called "Sweet Dreams". 1946 Honorably discharged from San Leandro hospital. Moved in with family in Kingsboro Housing Project, Brooklyn. 1946-49 Continued as social activist. Elected president of tenant's union and edited project news periodical called the "New Look". 1946 U.S. Camera Annual best pictures of the year 1945 - a double full page spread and another photo single full page spread. 1947 Official photographer for Disabled American Veterans national newspaper, Cincinnati, Ohio. Picture editor VET Magazine - Cincinnati, Ohio. 1948 Official photographer - Litho Union Journal. 1948 Series on Wallace on War Campaign - Attended 3rd National Convention. 1949 Freelance work for Clem Young - N.Y. Times (Babe Didrikson Story, etc.). 1950 Publicity work for Pat Willard, jazz musician's publicist/writer of several stories for Ebony magazine. 1952-3 Schooled and graduated at Fred Archer's School of Photography (Color Photography) on the G.I. bill. Lived in El Sereno housing project. 1960s Worked for Western Litho. Co. - for Clement's - Pacific Press - and during the years tried my own business called Magic Color into the 70's. Three years in 60's spent in Synanon House as a square resident and worked with photographic section of that organization. 1971 Photographic Quarterly, Los Angeles, Calif., 10 page photos and article "Joe Schwartz on Relevance". 1974 "Seeking It Lovingly” 7 photos for book of verse by minister James W. Angell. 1975 KPFK FOLIO - covers and inside pages for a Los Angeles public supported radio station. 1977 "Heretic" autobiography - Rev. Stephen H. Fritchman I 1st Unitarian Church of L.A. 1977 Independent Publishing Fund of the Americas, a literary newsletter - two full page spreads and article “Joe Schwartz, People's Photographer”. 1980 Claremont, Ca. newspaper, "Courier" - 2 page tabloid spread "Photographic Folklore," by Julie Simon. 1980s Catalogue - "The Photo League” for exhibits curated by Anne W. Tucker of Houston Museum of Art. Texas. 1985 Catalogue "The Photo League” Howard Greenberg/Photofind Gallery, New York. 1988 Aperture magazine "Story of The Photo League” full page spread. 1989 Soft cover book "Jacob Lawrence, Paintings and Sculpture” 4 full page spreads. 1990 Still working on my book titled "Folk Photography - Poems I've Never Written." 2000 Set up a digital studio in my home and published my book "Folk Photography - Poems I've Never Written." Exhibitions 2007 Santa Barbara Museum of Art - Santa Barbara, California 2006 Steynberg Gallery - San Luis Obispo, California 2005 Indiana Historical Society - Indianapolis, Indiana 2005 Skirball Musem of Art - Los Angeles, California 2005 San Luis Obispo County Art Center - San Luis Obispo, California 2004 University Concourse Gallery, University of Tennesse - Knoxville, Tennesse 2004 Public Library of Charlotte, Mecklenberg County - Charlotte, North Carolina 2004 Missouri Historical Society - St Louis, Missouri 2004 Birmingham Civil Rights Institute - Birmingham, Alabama 2004 Harn Museum of Art, University of Florida - Coral Gables, Florida 2004 San Francisco Photo Show - San Francisco, California 2003 Louisiana State University Union Art Gallery - Baton Rouge, Louisiana 2002 Picker Gallery at Colgate University - Hamilton, New York 2002 Cohen Gallery - Los Angeles, California 2002 Shapiro Gallery - San Francisco, California 2001 Daiter Gallery - Chicago, Illinois 1996 Cohen Gallery - Los Angeles, California 1996 Karpeleles Museum - Santa Barbara, California 1995 Pepperdine University - Malabu, California 1994 One Man Show - Titled “Poems I’ve Never Written” - Wadsworth Atheneum - Celebrating Black History Month. Hartford, CT 1994 One Man Show - Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, CA 1994 Amistad Museum - Mystic Seaport, Connecticut 1993 11th Annual Artists Salute to Black History Month - Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza - L.A., CA 1990 “Photo League-Exhibit” Boston College Art Gallery -Group showing in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts 1990 “Photo League” Group show at Guild Hall Museum, East Hampton, N.Y. 1989 Annual Art Benefit Dinner & Auction - Painters and Photographers. Museum of African American Art 1989 “Joe Schwartz. Peoples' Photographer” celebrating Black History Month in Atascadero, Calif. (Library) 1988 “Time of Your Life” - Los Angeles Convention Center 1987 “The Photo League. 1936-1951” Gallery Association of New York State -2 year tour thru New York State 1986 “The Peoples' Photographer” - Museum of African American Art - L.A. 1983 Permanent Exhibit - “Westside Independent Services For The Elderly” Santa Monica, California 1980 The Galarie - Combo - Painter and Photographer -“Folk Art”, Venice, Ca. 1980 Leigh Yeakey Woodsen Museum of Art - “Photographic Crossroads: The Photo League” group show 1980 “Folk Photographer. Joe Schwartz” Clark Humanities Museum -Scripps College, Claremont, California 1979 University of Iowa Museum of Art - “Photo League” group show 1978 “Photographic Crossroads: The Photo League” - Group show National Gallery of Canada 1978 Museum of Fine Arts, Houston - “Photographic Crossroads: The Photo League” , Group show in Houston. Texas 1977 “Artistic Reflections on Black History” sponsored by Los Angeles High School Art Dept.. Los Angeles, Calif. 1976 “I Remember” presented by Black Studies Center Claremont College, Clark Humanities Museum, Claremont, Calif. 1976 “I Remember” - One Man Show. The Gallery. Los Angeles, Calif. 1972 “For Sale” benefit for Southern Conference Educational Fund. 1971 “Group Arts Show” Westwood Art Association, Calif. 1970 “Photography - As Eye See It”, Westside Jewish Community Center, L.A. 1970s "One Man Show, Joe Schwartz” Fullerton College. Anaheim. Calif. 1967 “The Canvas And The Camera” 2 painters - 2 photographers, Downey Museum of Art - Downey, Calif. 1965 “1 -2 -3 -For The Show” Painter, Sculptor and Photographer -Los Angeles Museum of Art - Barnsdall Park. 1964 Veterans Hospital - Brentwood, California “Retro”. 1963 Synanon House "Love Story of a Photographer", Santa Monica, Calif. 1960s Santa Monica High School, "I Remember” - Retrospective 1950s Douglas Aircraft - National Group Exhibit. Awarded lst place by Lionel Barrymore, judge 1950s "Photo Retrospective, Joe Schwartz" lst Unitarian Church, Los Angeles, Calif. Dr. Steve Fritchman, minister 1950s Los Angeles Photo League - Helped organize Group Showing and Critique by Weegee 1948 Kingsboro Housing Project - "Community League of Kingsboro Activities", Brooklyn, N.Y. 1948 1 day exhibit "Fight for Playgrounds" Harlem school basketball court 1939-40 Photo League group showing and critique. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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