The Sound of Gordon Parks is an immersive exhibition that explores the lesser-known sonic dimension of Gordon Parks’s artistic legacy. While Parks (1912–2006) is widely celebrated as a photographer, filmmaker, and writer, he was also a composer whose musical output has remained largely underexplored. Developed in partnership with The Gordon Parks Foundation and Mario Sprouse—Parks’s longtime musical assistant and archivist of more than twenty years—the exhibition invites visitors into the rich soundscape of the artist’s creative universe through music, video, and rarely seen archival materials.
The exhibition highlights the depth and range of Parks’s musical contributions, from orchestral works, such as Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (1952), to film scores, including for his directorial debut, The Learning Tree (1969). Providing access to rare demo recordings and previously unheard compositions, The Sound of Gordon Parks uncovers the auditory textures that shaped his practice and offers a fuller appreciation of this multidisciplinary creator.
