Eddie Adams' Vietnam photos to be displayed at art center

WOOSTER — You might not recognize Eddie Adams by face or by name, but his photos chronicled an entire era of America History.

Adams, whose best-known image is a 1968 black-and-white frame of the execution of a captured Viet Cong soldier on a street in Saigon, covered 13 wars — most notably Vietnam.

And later this month, 50 of those photos — along with maps and related information about the conflict — will be on display at the Wayne Center for the Arts, 237 S. Walnut St., Wooster.

It is a significant exhibit, said center executive director Josh Coy. “I think this is timely,” he said. “These veterans are reaching the age where we need to talk about it.”

“Eddie Adams: Vietnam” opens Saturday, May 26, with a reception from 6-8 p.m. And in a rare move, the center will be open on Memorial Day from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. Admission is free. The exhibit will remain at the center and can be viewed during regular hours through June 16.

Adams, who died in 2004, joined the Marines in 1951 and served as a combat photographer, traveling the world and later covering refugees and riots, both in the U.S. and overseas. He later became a celebrated celebrity photographer, capturing memorable moments with Louis Armstrong, Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Fidel Castro and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

His work earned him more than 500 awards over the course of his 50-year career, including the Pulitzer Prize and 22 World Press Photo awards. After his death, his widow donated most of his archive to the University of Texas.

But some, Coy said, ended up with the Dublin (Ohio) Arts Council, where Coy's wife had previously worked. When the exhibit was unveiled there in 2015, he said, “the experience for veterans was really moving. … This is photojournalism, as opposed to interpretative art.”

But there also is an artistry there. “(Adams) had a really good sense of compositional design,” said Coy. “This is high art in the form of journalism. I think it is a really powerful show.”

It is not, however, an inexpensive one, which is why the center continues to seek sponsorships for the show.

Donations of $100, $250, $500 and $1,000 can be made by individuals or businesses and also can be made in honor or memory of a member of the armed forces. For more information, contact the center at 330-264-2787.

The Adams exhibit is the first of what Coy hopes to make an annual event — some sort of gallery function related to soldiers and veterans around the Memorial Day holiday. He noted there is an intersection between veterans and arts, especially in the use of art therapy as a way to work through Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Because some of the images will doubtlessly evoke an emotional response and because of the adult subject matter, the exhibit will be open only to high school-age youth and adults.

— Reporter Tami Mosser can be reached at 330-287-1655 or tmosser@the-daily-record.com.