Julian Cox: Photography, Identity and Social Justice

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 9, 2015) — Julian Cox, founding curator of photography for the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and chief curator of the de Young Museum in San Francisco, California, will give a lecture at 4 p.m. Friday, April 10, at Worsham Theater in the University of Kentucky Student Center as part of this year's Robert C. May Photography Lecture Series. This event, presented by the Art Museum at UK, is free and open to the public.

Cox's lecture will focus on the role of photography within the issues of identity and social justice, drawing from exhibitions he curated, like "Harry Callahan: Eleanor" and "Signs of Life: Photographs by Peter Sekaer," and his book "Road to Freedom: Photographs of the Civil Rights Movement, 1956-1968."

In addition to his work as a curator in San Francisco, Cox has held positions at the National Library of Wales and in the National Museum of Photography, Film, and Television in Bradford, England. He also has worked with the photograph collection at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, California, and led the photography program at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia.

In these positions, Cox has organized photography exhibitions on topics ranging from the history of early photography in 19th century Europe to contemporary U.S. photography. He co-authored the acclaimed work "Julia Margaret Cameron: The Complete Photographs" with Colin Ford.

The May Lecture Series explores photography's roots in the 19th century and its reinvention in the digital world. The lecture series is made possible through the Robert C. May Photography Endowment, a museum fund established in 1994 for the support of acquisitions and programs relating to photography.

The mission of the Art Museum at UK, part of the UK College of Fine Arts, is to promote the understanding and appreciation of art to enhance the quality of life for people of Kentucky through collecting, exhibiting, preserving and interpreting outstanding works of visual art from all cultures. Home to a collection of more than 4,500 objects including American and European paintings, drawings, photographs, prints and sculpture, the Art Museum at UK presents both special exhibitions and shows of work from its permanent collection.