The Colorado Photographic Arts Center and The New York Times present:

ON THE STREET
WITH BILL CUNNINGHAM

JANUARY 12 – FEBRUARY 24, 2018

Opening Reception (Free): Friday, January 12, 6-9 pm with Special Guest Tiina Loite, New York Times Photo Editor

Location: Colorado Photographic Arts Center (1070 Bannock St, Denver 80204)

The Colorado Photographic Arts Center has partnered with The New York Times to present On the Street with Bill Cunningham, an exhibition celebrating the career of iconic fashion photographer Bill Cunningham. The public is invited to a free opening reception at CPAC on Friday, January 12, 6-9 pm, featuring special guest Tiina Loite, a photo editor who worked closely with Cunningham in the New York Times’ Style section.

Cunningham was best known for his candid photographs of stylish women and men on the streets of New York. A Harvard University dropout, he was first a designer of women’s hats before moving on to writing about fashion for Women’s Wear Daily and the Chicago Tribune. He began taking candid photographs on the streets of New York City, and his work drew the attention of The New York Times with a 1978 picture of Greta Garbo in an unguarded moment. Cunningham cultivated his own fashion signature, dressing in a uniform of black sneakers and a blue work man’s jacket, his only accessory a camera. He travelled throughout Manhattan by bicycle. He worked for the New York Times until his death in June 2016 at age 87.

The exhibition will include audio clips of Cunningham speaking about his work in addition to his photographs.

“When you see his images up close, you can really appreciate Cunningham’s eye for detail and uncanny ability to wait for the right moment,” said CPAC Executive Director Samantha Johnston. “Not only was he a talented photographer, writer, and tireless editor, but he brought incredible passion and joy to his work. He’s someone we can all learn from, and CPAC is thrilled to partner with the New York Times to share his work with the Denver community.”

Loite got to know Cunningham while she was a photo editor for the New York Times’ Style department. “He would say to me: ‘I’m not a photographer. I’m a columnist who writes with pictures,’” she said. “It’s easy to say ‘Bill Cunningham, photographer.’ But that’s not enough of a description of Bill. What he did was a complete different iteration of the job.”

Many people learned about Cunningham from the award-winning 2010 documentary, Bill Cunningham New York (A Film by Richard Press). In it, many of Cunningham’s famous colleagues and friends are interviewed, including Vogue Editor Anna Wintour, Tom Wolfe, Brooke Astor, and David Rockefeller. The film is available on Hulu.

This exhibition is courtesy of The New York Times. Curation: Meaghan Looram; Production credits: Cornelius Schmid, Joanna Nikas, John Kurdewan

Learn More

Bill Cunningham on Bill Cunningham: The Photographer on What He Did, Why He Did it, and How it All Began, The New York Times (June 25, 2016)

Bill Cunningham New York, a Film by Richard Press: Watch the Trailer
Film Available on Hulu

About Tiina Loite

Born in New York, raised in New Jersey, Tiina Loite has spent over 30 years as a photo editor at The New York Times. White at first focused on becoming the photo assignment editor and working with news photographers, she went to the Style department when the Times started it’s Sunday Styles section in 1992. She remained the Sunday Styles photo editor for the next 20 years, with detours on various special sections that required more complicated photo shoots, as well as stints as photo editor on The City and Food sections.