Mikki Ferrill x LeRoy Henderson x Exhibition Tour

MIKKI FERRILL

Born in Chicago's South Side in 1937, Valeria “Mikki” Ferrill pursued her education in graphic design and illustration at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. It was during her studies that she first encountered photography as a transformative art form, sparked by images created by Ted Williams, a fellow South Side photojournalist known for his evocative photographs of jazz musicians. This pivotal moment led Ferrill to apprentice with Williams, shaping her path as a photographer.

As a protégé in Williams's studio, Ferrill studied the work of photographers such as Gordon Parks, and immersed herself in the craft. Through technical classes and hands-on experience, Ferrill developed her skills and artistic vision, realizing, “Photography is not just a documentary tool, it is a great art form.” From 1967 to 1970, Ferrill accompanied Williams on assignments in Mexico, where they covered events including the 1968 Olympics. Upon returning to Chicago in 1970, she worked as a freelance photographer, contributing her work to several notable publications, including Ebony, Downbeat, Chicago Defender, Chicago Tribune, Final Call, and Muhammad Speaks.

One of her most significant projects was a decade-long commitment to photographing The Garage, an improvised music club that popped up every Sunday in a car garage located at 610 East 50th Street in Chicago. Known affectionately as "The Picture-Taking Lady," Ferrill captured the spirit of the venue, which hosted a mix of jazz and R&B music. She noted, "The people, the music, and just the atmosphere became my spiritual inspiration." Her work from The Garage was featured in the first and second volumes of The Black Photographers Annual.

Ferrill's photography encompasses a wide range of subjects from community events to notable figures in Chicago's artistic landscape. She participated in influential exhibitions, including On Freedom: The Art of Photojournalism at the Studio Museum in Harlem, where her work was shown alongside Gordon Parks's. Throughout her career, Ferrill embraced her role as a woman in a male-dominated field, often being the only female photographer in various settings. Her experiences, ranging from her involvement with the press at significant events to her candid interactions with her subjects, underscored her belief in forming genuine connections. "I always did things on my own terms," she reflected, highlighting her commitment to authenticity in her work.

Click here to read an interview with Mikki Ferrill.

LEROY HENDERSON

LeRoy W. Henderson, Jr., born in Richmond, Virginia, in 1936, is known for his documentation of social and political movements from the Civil Rights era to the present. Growing up in the Washington Park neighborhood, he was influenced by his experiences working odd jobs for local artists, including Adele Clark, a prominent painter and suffragist, whose studio inspired his creative pursuits. At the age of twelve, he purchased a Brownie Hawkeye camera, which he used to photograph model airplanes he had built. After graduating from Maggie Walker High School, he continued his undergraduate studies at Virginia State University and his graduate studies at the Pratt Institute in New York. He also attended the School of Visual Arts to study photography and film.

In the 1960s, Following military service in Germany, where he worked as a cryptographer, Henderson returned to the U.S. and dedicated himself to photography, just as the Black Power and anti-war movements were gaining momentum. Influenced by photographers such as Gordon Parks and Walker Evans, he sought to produce work that not only represented events but also told the stories of the individuals involved. Throughout his career, Henderson captured key moments in Black history, such as the Poor People’s March on Washington and antiwar protests in New York City, and photographed influential figures such as Stokely Carmichael and Muhammad Ali. With these and other images, Henderson often provides a unique perspective that highlights the human experience.

Henderson’s work gained wider attention when he contributed work to The Black Photographers Annual in the 1970s. Since then, his work has been widely published in magazines such as Black Enterprise, Essence, Jet, Newsweek, and New York magazine. In a career spanning over five decades, Henderson has created images that reflect American society's struggles, hopes, and resilience, and demonstrate his dedication to telling the stories of those often overlooked. As he has said, “Most of us, we’re not looking for photographs as we walk around. But my motivation as a photographer and an artist is to be able to see the things that other people don’t see.”

Click here to read an interview with LeRoy Henderson.