LOWER EAST SIDE — A mother's photos of her 5-year-old daughter posing as iconic African-American women are lighting up the windows of the The International Center of Photography in a special evening exhibition through Sunday.
Cristi Jones of Washington state began garnering publicity in February for photos of her daughter Lola styled as famous women such as Rosa Parks, Nina Simone, Sojourner Truth and Michelle Obama. In celebration of Black History Month, she took one photo for every day of the month.
When those photos caught the attention of ICP Associate Curator Pauline Vermare, she reached out to the mother and amateur photographer to ask if the center could create a special exhibition projecting the photo series on the museum's windows at 250 Bowery at night.
"I thought it was the most sincere, meaningful, thoughtful, and beautiful photo project I'd seen in a long time," said Vermare in a statement.
"This correspondence between the past — many dimensions of the past, and many different fields of accomplishments — and this brilliant five-year-old, Lola, was incredibly strong and moving. It carried so much life and empowerment, hope for the future generations of women of color, and for all women."
Vermare said Jones was elated at the offer to display her photos, explaining she was not a professional photographer and had taken most of the photos on her Samsung phone.
The series, titled "Indomitable: A Tribute to African American Women Who Led the Way," kicked off Monday night and will continue through Sunday, lighting up the windows each evening at dusk.
"We're all really thrilled this is happening," Vermare continued. "ICP, as a School, as a Collection and as a Museum, celebrates photography as a tool for social change, and this project embodies our founding ideals."
Jones took to Twitter the night of the exhibition's launch, calling the display "a surreal dream come true."
Our photos being projected onto the @ICPhotog museum windows this week in NYC. Such a surreal dream come true! ❤ pic.twitter.com/vdT47RW6O7
— Cristi Smith-Jones (@MsKittiFatale) March 21, 2017
