Stephen Shames

American. Born 1947

Swim Pool Jump (from the Bronx Boys series)

1983

11” x 14”

Gelatin Silver Print

Purchased with funding from the State of New York. Percent for Art Program, 2004

Newman Vertical Campus, 13th floor

In 1977, Stephen Shames was given an assignment in the South Bronx for a magazine and he fell in love with the neighborhood. Over the next two decades, Shames gained the trust of the neighborhood residents and took the photographs that would become the Bronx Boys series and a published book of photo essays. During the making of this series, the South Bronx was one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the United States and was also experiencing a crack epidemic. The photos that were taken are raw and intimate portraits of the Black and Hispanic families that made up the neighborhood. Swim Pool Jump, which shows young Black boys jumping into a public pool after hours, reveals the joy and sense of community Shames, who is white, found in the South Bronx. Shames describes the themes of this series as the interplay between good and evil; violence and love; chaos and family. The focus of the series is adolescent boys, with women and girls almost nowhere to be seen. Shames wanted to capture what it was like for boys growing up at this time and place. Many photos show evidence of violence and crime, but like in Swim Pool Jump, the photos also show humanity, community, and raw energy.

Label and audio guide by Stephanie O’Brien, graduate student in the Arts Administration program at Baruch College.