Crowns (Denise Hartsfield)

Gift of Dan McLawhorn, Class of 1970, and Robert Hazelgrove, Jr.

Michael Cunningham studied at Winston-Salem State University and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He is known for his series entitled "Crowns," which features portraits of black women in church hats. This project, and the subsequent “Queens” series, have been presented at the Smithsonian's Anacostia Museum, Studio Museum, High Museum of Art, Cincinnati Art Museum, and in numerous media outlets including, New York Times, USA Today, and CBS News Sunday Morning Show. Cunningham also turned both “Crowns” and “Queens” into award-winning books. In addition, Cunningham is the Executive Director of Urban Shutterbugs, a nonprofit organization aimed at teaching the fine art of black and white photography to inner-city youth.