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Hicks (Calvin) Photograph Collection
TBC.CAH
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Contributing Institution:
Special Collections & Archives
Title: Calvin Hicks Photograph Collection
Creator:
Hicks, Calvin (1941-2012)
Identifier/Call Number: TBC.CAH
Physical Description:
2.77 linear feet
Date (inclusive): 1970-2001
Abstract: Calvin Hicks was an
African American photographer who lived in Los Angeles from 1968 to his death in 2012. He
participated in several exhibit spaces and photography groups dedicated to the area's
African American photographers, such as the Black Gallery and the Black Photographers of
California. This collection covers the time period from 1970 to 2001. Materials include
negatives, contact sheets, prints, slides, correspondence, and ephemera. Hicks' studio
portraits, scenes from Venice Beach, and public event coverage feature prominently in this
collection.
Language of Material:
English.
Calvin Hicks was born in West Virginia in 1941. He received a Bachelor of Science in Art
Education from West Virginia State College in 1965. In 1968, he moved with his wife, Linda
McCormick, and his two daughters to Los Angeles, where he began his 40-year career as a
county probation officer. Having learned photography early in life, he continued his own art
education in Los Angeles by attending classes at Inner City Cultural Center, Los Angeles
Trade Technical College, and Otis Parson Art Institute (Otis College of Art and Design).
Pursuing photography in his free time, Calvin Hicks became an important local photographer
and mentor who co-founded a number of exhibit spaces and photography groups dedicated to
local African American photographers, such as the Visionist Gallery in downtown Los Angeles,
the Black Gallery in Crenshaw, and the Black Photographers of California. He was a member of
the Bunker Hill Arts League and exhibited alongside other notable photographers such as
Donald Bernard, Roland Charles, and Willie Middlebrook. He is commonly described as a
fine-art photographer, and he captured a variety of subjects, including portraits, jazz
festivals, and Venice Beach.
Hick's images are featured in a number of publications, such as the following:
Reflections In Black: A History of Black Photographers, 1840 to
Present
by Deborah Willis;
Typing In the Dark
poetry collection by S. Pearl Sharp; and
Identity and Affirmation:
Post War African American Photography,
published by California State University's
Institute of Media and Arts. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington
Post, and ZYZZYVA. A significant exhibit for Hicks and his vision was
Life In A Day of Black L.A.: The Way We See, arranged by UCLA's Center for
African American Studies and the Black Photographers of California, because it focused
exclusively on West Coast Black photographers.
Hicks married his second wife, Joyce Elaine Hicks, in 2006 and retired from the county in
2008. After a long battle with cancer, he died in 2012.
The Calvin Hicks Photograph Collection consists of more than 3,000 images. Materials
include 35mm negatives (most black-and-white), 120mm negatives, contact sheets, prints,
slides, correspondence, and ephemera. Negatives make up the majority of the collection. Many
negatives are paired with their matching contact sheet. Hicks' studio portraits, scenes from
Venice Beach, and public events coverage feature prominently in this collection. A majority
of images were created in Los Angeles. Bulk dates are from 1970 to 2000.
The collection is arranged into seven series:
Events and
Places
(1971-1999),
Buildings (1988),
Portraits (1983-1999),
Fine-Art
Photography
(1970-1996),
Festivals and Musicians
(1995-1999),
Political Figures (1996—1998), and
Correspondence and Ephemera (2001).
Series I,
Events and Places, showcases a sample of Hick's
documentary photographs, such as small art exhibits, Venice Beach, and significant personal
and public events.
Series II,
Buildings, includes images of the Crenshaw Plaza
construction and the home of Calvin Hicks.
Series III,
Portraits, is the largest series. It consists of
portraits of named or unidentified individuals, groups, families, couples, and weddings.
Series IV,
Fine-Art Photography, contains more artistic
renderings of the human body nude and/or in various poses and of objects.
Series V,
Festivals and Musicians, captures several festivals
(mostly jazz) in the Los Angeles area and images of musicians performing or attending
events.
Series VI,
Political Figures, includes images of African
American politicians who served in California. The images are of a few events they attended
during the 1990s.
Series VII,
Correspondence and Ephemera, is the smallest
collection. There are only two items in this series.
Regarding conservation, paper marks, burn marks, and sticking issues were found on a few
materials upon arrival. This damage was likely caused by a house fire that had occurred at
Calvin Hick's residence. As for identifiers, most materials are marked with an
alphanumerical unique identifier on top of a sheet or on the back of a print. The Tom and
Ethel Bradley Center created this identification for internal reference.
Collection folders are arranged alphabetically by title. Series are generally arranged
chronologically, though not strictly due to additions made later.
Series I: Events and Places, 1971-1999
Series II: Buildings, 1988
Series III: Portraits, 1983-1999
Series IV: Fine-Art Photography, 1970-1996
Series V: Festivals and Musicians, 1995-1999
Series VI: Political Figures, 1996-1998
Series VII: Correspondence and Ephemera, 2001
This collection is open for research use.
Copyright status for materials in this collection is unknown. Transmission or reproduction
of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair
use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain
cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility
for any use rests exclusively with the user.
For information about citing items in this collection, consult the appropriate style
manual, or see the
Citing Archival Materials
guide.
Elizabeth Peattie, 2022, 2023, 2024
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Photographs