New Bedford’s Anthony Barboza Returns Home Through His Photography

It was a pleasure this week to speak with one of New Bedford's own, famed photographer Anthony Barboza, known internationally for shaping the story of American photography for more than 50 years.

The New Bedford Art Museum is partnering with the New Bedford Historical Society to present an exhibit titled "Anthony Barboza: I Return With a Feeling of Us," on view through November 23.

Barboza lives in New York, but still has clear memories of growing up in New Bedford, his time in the Navy, and starting out as a professional photographer.

"I was 19 when I went to New York City, and met other photographers in a group I joined," he said. "I didn't even have a camera at that time!"

Capturing Black Life Through the Lens

Barboza did eventually buy a camera for $15, and used that camera and many others to hone his craft. Over the years, his work has appeared in the Museum of Modern Art, the Studio Museum in Harlem, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and locations around the world. He is considered a central figure in using photography to document, celebrate and envision Black life in America and beyond.

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Growing up in New Bedford, Barboza said he always had a feeling of community.

"My mother, grandmother, and my mother's sister, that's where I got a lot of feeling about home and family," he said. "It helped me become more sensitive to certain things, and that helped me when I became a photographer."

Inside the New Bedford Exhibit

Barboza has also taken numerous photos of celebrities for magazine covers, ad agencies, and fashion. The New Bedford exhibit includes more than 40 photos with highlights from Barboza's "Black Dreams/White Sheets" series and portraits of James Baldwin, Aretha Franklin, Miles Davis and many others.

"Whenever I took photos, in a studio or a person's home, I try to make them as comfortable as possible, so they can relax," Barboza said. "I want folks to look at the photos and get a feeling of what the subject is going through at that time."

A Photographer’s Lasting Vision

Now in his 80s, Barboza still does an occasional photo shoot, but now spends most of his time concentrating on books.

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