2008 Woodie Awards
Ginsberg exhibit showcases rebellious lifestyle
By Sonya Harvey
Issue date: 9/14/07 Section: Premiere
Originally published: 9/20/07 at 4:06 PM CSTLast update: 9/20/07 at 4:05 PM CST
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Fotoseptiembre is an international photography festival through 30 that showcases many artists' works in a variety of galleries throughout the city and in Boerne.
"Allen Ginsberg: Beat Generation Photographer," at the San Antonio Museum of Art, exposes intimate portraits of Ginsberg's legendary friends.
Photographs of William S. Burroughs sleeping on his typewriter, Jack Kerouac standing on a fire escape contemplating life, with a cigarette in hand, and a self-portrait of Ginsberg on his way to an opium den in Calcutta, portray glimpses of the bohemian lifestyle the "beats" were famous for.
There are photographs of psychedelic research pioneer Timothy Leary, whose slogan was "turn on, tune in and drop out," and his friends experimenting with acid while joyriding on Ken Kesey's Merry Pranksters' Bus.
Original copies of the books "Naked Lunch," by Burroughs and "On the Road" by Kerouac are on display, along with audio recordings of Ginsberg, Burroughs and Kerouac. The exhibit also contains movie posters from the beat era and trading cards of beat characters.
Kerouac's nephew, LaVern, and his wife, Rosie, happened to be viewing the exhibit Sunday morning.
"The entire manuscript for 'On the Road' was written on a blank newspaper scroll in just three weeks," LaVern Kerouac said.
Popularized in the late 1940s by writer Kerouac, the term "beat" quickly became a slang term in post-World War II America, signifying "exhaust," "beat down" or "without hope or illusions."
Modest in form and personal in content, the Ginsberg exhibit records fleeting moments of a rebellious time. Forty-seven of Ginsberg's photographs from two distinct periods as a photographer are on display through Oct. 14.
"This exhibit is history, memories of the '50s, and I hope everyone gets a chance to see it," LaVern Kerouac said.
"All Access: My Rock 'n' Roll," on display at Rendon Photography and Fine Art, is a photographic collection of live performances and backstage antics of some of the greatest rock bands in history, captured by Al Rendon.
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