The Atelier Gallery at Stoneham Theatre
Backstage at the Apollo
Photographs by Jenn Warren
June 3 – August 2, 2009
Opening reception Sunday, June 21, 3 – 4:30
Since 1934, the Apollo Theater has been a place for amateur talent to prove themselves in front of a tough crowd. Every Wednesday night in Harlem, the public determines the fate of these aspiring performers. It is said if you can survive Amateur Night and the Apollo Audience, you can survive show business. Those who succeed move on to join the ranks of artists like Ella Fitzgerald, James Brown and Stevie Wonder. Those who fail face humiliation from the audience. If a determined contestant refuses to leave the stage, the siren wails and the Apollo Executioner taps the performer off-stage to cheers and exploding laughter from the crowd. Jenn Warren captures life backstage in candid black and white portraits of the show, steeped in tradition and brimming with life.
About the Griffin Museum
The Griffin Museum of Photography was founded in 1992 to provide a forum for the exhibition of both historic and contemporary photography. The Museum houses three galleries dedicated solely to the exploration of photographic arts: the Main Gallery, which features rotating exhibits from some of the world's leading photographers; the Atelier Gallery dedicated to showcasing the works of prominent, up-and-coming artists; and the Griffin Gallery, home to the extensive archives of Museum founder and world-renowned photojournalist Arthur Griffin. For more on the Griffin Museum of Photography, visit www.griffinmuseum.org.