Footsteps, Harlem
1961
Gelatin silver print

Pops
1985
Gelatin silver print

Shadow
2009
Archival pigment print, printed 2009

Black Umbrellas, Harlem
1961
Gelatin silver print

Malcolm X, 115th Street
1962
Gelatin silver print

Three Shadows
1960
Gelatin silver print

Mick Jagger and Mary in Rio Eating Cotton Candy
1968
Gelatin silver print

“For me, the artist’s responsibility is to keep the temple (body, mind, and spirit) clear, clean and open by being aware and by keeping watch over what enters it mentally and physically. When it is so tuned, the creative impulses can be fully received and reflected to the highest degree, where line, form, and color define a space that the viewer can feel with the heart, explore with the eyes, and contemplate with the mind.”
–Adger W. Cowans

Adger Cowans (b. 1936), was born in Columbus, Ohio, and is a fine arts photographer and abstract expressionist painter who has experimented with myriad mediums over his artistic career. Renowned in the world of photography and fine art, his works have been shown by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, International Museum of Photography, Museum of Modern Art, The Studio Museum of Harlem, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Harvard Fine Art Museum, Detroit Art Institute, James E. Lewis Museum and numerous other art institutions.

After attending Ohio University where he received a BFA in photography, Cowans furthered his education at the School of Motion Picture Arts and School of Visual Arts in New York. While serving in the United States Navy, he worked as a photographer before moving to New York, where he later worked with LIFE magazine photographer, Gordon Parks, and fashion photographer, Henri Clarke.