I'm usually a little leery about recommending PBS TV shows about photography and photographers, since I have no reliable way of determining which shows are new and which are reruns. Usually, if I recommend something, ten people will write and tell me they saw it two years ago. (For instance, there's a show airing in my market about Art Sinsabaugh that I really want to see [or did I miss that already?]. Is that one new or old? Don't know.)
But I think "Documenting the Face of America: Roy Stryker and the F.S.A./O.W.I. Photographers," airing tonight on PBS, is a new one. I haven't seen it, but whether you're already familiar with the FSA (I'm very familiar with it, having leafed through the entire collection in Washington, D.C., a project which took me many visits over several weeks) or not, I recommend setting aside the time to watch the program. What with the inherent interest of the subject and the general excellence of PBS documentaries, I don't see how you could lose. I'll be watching, for sure.
Check your local listings.
_______________________
Mike
P.S. And incidentally, the best book about the FSA, long out of print and quite rare, is a thing called A Vision Shared
Featured Comment by Geoff Wittig: "Great stuff; I'll be watching for sure. There's a fascinating new book on Dorothea Lange (Daring to Look by Anne Whiston Spirn
Featured Comment by Jason: "May I also recommend Bound for Glory: America in Color
Featured Comment by Tyler Monson: "Take a look at Dust Bowl Descent
A quick Google search comes up with this as being the" first time on TV".
http://documentingamerica.org/Home.html
Posted by: Paul Symchych | Monday, 18 August 2008 at 12:12 PM
I just checked the PBS schedule and, contrary to the NY Times article (where I first learned of the program), the show is scheduled for NEXT Monday, Aug. 25th. Maybe some PBS stations are showing a week earlier?
As you said, check your local listings ... ;-)
Posted by: Dave Kosiur | Monday, 18 August 2008 at 12:55 PM
Here in the SF Bay Area, my Tivo reports nothing in the next two weeks with either the word "Stryker" nor "Documenting" in the title.
(Just in case Tivo is wrong, I'm going to tell it to record from 10-11PM this evening.)
pax / Ctein
Posted by: Ctein | Monday, 18 August 2008 at 12:59 PM
In the New York City area, it's on tonight (Aug 18th) at 10 pm on both Channel 13 and its HD equivalent (713).
Posted by: ycl | Monday, 18 August 2008 at 02:36 PM
This seems to be a no-show show here in Chicago. (If it's not "Peter, Paul and Mary's Reunion" our WTTW isn't interested in showing it.) Next Monday (8/25) PBS begins showing the Democratic Convention (zzzzz).
Shrug. I guess I'll watch the Olympics (replays) tonight.
Posted by: Ken Tanaka | Monday, 18 August 2008 at 02:50 PM
What's an FSA?
Posted by: Eolake Stobblehouse | Monday, 18 August 2008 at 06:35 PM
"What's an FSA?"
Eolake,
Farm Security Administration. The FSA photography project was one of the most extensive and sustained documentary projects in American history. It made the reputations of a handful of mid-century photographers, including Walker Evans and Dorothea Lange, and numerous famous pictures were made under its auspices.
The archive belongs to the American people and can be viewed in its entirety at the Department of Prints and Photographs at the Library of Congress.
Mike J.
Posted by: Mike J. | Monday, 18 August 2008 at 07:33 PM
For those in the Boston area, this documentary will be shown on PBS WGBH Channel 4, tonight (Aug 18) at 22:00.
Be there or be 4/3.
Posted by: Miserere | Monday, 18 August 2008 at 08:04 PM
The Art Sinsabaugh program came on here (SE Virginia PBS) last night. It was fascinating; I have a new hero. I don't know if it was a re-run; it followed the Masterpiece/Mysteries, which are new.
Posted by: Al Benas | Monday, 18 August 2008 at 08:44 PM
Al; Don't get me started on Art Sinsabaugh. The Art Institte of Chicago held a major exhibition of his work in 2005 and he instantly became one of my all-time favorites, too.
In case you're not aware...
Indiana University has his archive: http://www.indiana.edu/~iuam/online_modules/sinsabaugh/
The catalog of the 2005 exhibition is still available at amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1555952305/ref=ord_cart_shr?%5Fencoding=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&v=glance
Sorry for the digression, Mike.
Posted by: Ken Tanaka | Monday, 18 August 2008 at 09:27 PM
Ken,
Thanks for the heads-up on the catalog. I'm sure Mike won't mind; I'll order it through the TOP connection :)
Posted by: Al Benas | Monday, 18 August 2008 at 11:24 PM
Thank you for posting this. It looks like Maryland Public Television will be rebroadcasting both shows soon. The Roy Stryker program on the August 23rd, and the Art Sinsabaugh "American Horizons" on 25th. To be honest I'd never heard of Sinsabaugh before following Ken's links, but I'm looking forward to seeing more. Time to set the Tivo.
Posted by: Bryan C | Tuesday, 19 August 2008 at 11:15 AM
My copy of Dorothea Lange's "Daring to Look," was on my front porch tonight. I haven't read any of it yet, but it has the worst image reproductions that I've seen in years -- like low-bid offset printing from the years that Lange actually made the pictures. And not just poor grayscale, but many of them are actually soft, like they had not been scanned, but shot with an out of focus process camera.
Too bad -- I love Lange.
Posted by: Bill Mitchell | Wednesday, 27 August 2008 at 09:53 PM