ALUMNI NEWS
Unit Stills Specialist Richard A. DuCree Closes Out: Dirt, Grit and Sweat...Black Rodeo Riders
R ichard A. DuCree is an award- winning photographer and cultural documentarian whose work has been shaped by both roots in the South and New York. As a youth, DuCree often played with his mother’s 1950’s Brownie camera. He was fascinated with the inner workings and eventually received training from the Museum of Natural History in Man- hattan, NY in his preteens. His love for both the visual arts and design has lead him into a career of both architecture and photography. DuCree’s natural artistic abilities and unquenching desire for art and social justice, led him to study design and African American Studies at The University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where he honed his skills as a pho- tographer / photo editor at The Mas- sachusetts Daily Collegian. It was here that DuCree photographed luminaries such as Wynton Marsalis, Rev. Jesse Jackson (during his run for the presi- dency), Negro League Legends and
Bod Dylan to name a few. He went on to earn his Master’s in Architecture from Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, where he also taught traditional photography as a graduate assistant. He currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia. DuCree’s work is an intricate blend of his study of visual art, architecture and African American History/ social justice, to achieve dynamic work that reflects keen awareness of space and time, and his unique use of media. His ultimate goal is to puts the viewer amidst the action. His photography primarily focuses on the implication of social, political, cul- tural and economic influence (whether external or internal), impacting people of color. “In the end, to be human is to be aware of one’s responsibility in soci- ety and value of difference by finding commonality.” DuCree’s recent body of work titled “Dirt, Grit and Sweat… Black Rodeo Riders” is a three-year intimate portrait of the men and women of color…in- cluding Native Americans and Latinx
who travel, work and entertain as rodeo riders. He became intrigued about the subject after attending his first rodeo as a youth and learning that in the 1800’s, one in four cowboys were African Ameri- can. The traditions and legacy of African American rodeo riders has its roots in the founding of the Great West frontier. Hollywood romanticisms of the West has for some time excluded the history of Natives and people of color. Despite facing discrimination, great legends emerged and made their mark in history. Bill Pickett who developed the rodeo technique of “bulldogging” is one of many western legends. DuCree’s series documents and cel- ebrates the long-standing tradition of Af- rican American rodeo men and women, and brings attention to the history and culture of this sport. Overall, DuCree’s series celebrates this long tradition and captures the changed generations of professional rodeo riders.
Richard A. "RAD" DuCree (Stone Mountain-Lithonia (GAL) AL 2004)) is an Atlanta-based Unit Stills Photographer specializing in Feature Films, Episodic Television, Sports and Documentaries.
168 | SUMMER 2021 ♦ THE JOURNAL
VIRTUAL 85 TH GRAND CHAPTER MEETING
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