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ANTHONY ALDEN PHOTOGRAPHY "Live At Aretha Franklin Amphitheater"

"Picture My Word" By Anthony Alden

PICTURE MY WORDS

Picture My Word is a collection of visual and poetic lyrics and a journey through my perspective on human issues. It is an intimate glimpse into who and what I am as a man, as a black man. I firmly believe that one man's thought is a gift to another man's knowledge. This book is a testament to that philosophy, a painted picture of my thoughts and emotions.

Silent Watching

I see America, but America doesn't see me. I listen to America, but America doesn't hear me.

I'm a Silent Watcher, I'm you, you are me, we are not so different as it might seem. I, like you, search for answers to the unconscious self in the hope of finding the divine being that lies dormant.

This standard search for knowledge and a better self enables me to reflect on my experiences.

So hear my message and picture my thoughts, for we are not so different.

DEGRADATION OF A BLACK MAN

A Black Man + No Education = No Job

A Black Man + No Job = No Money

A Black Man + Crime = Time

A Black Man x Time = Zero\

Low Self-esteem = Lost Hope

= Lost Faith

No Job + No Money + Crime x Time = 0

A degraded black man

is a man,

or what was once left 

of a man.

Pieces of a man, 

a child, a man-child.

I have nothing else to give

Thus, you have nothing 

else to take.

The degradation of a black man 

told by a black man.

PROBE

My mind/is set on living

My will/is struggling to survive

My conscious/is burdened with guilt

My smile/silence my cry

My soul/is on ice?

G U N

B a r r e l of D e a t h 

triggered by hate

It aims to destroy life 

propelled by the guilty at the

 innocent

Standing in its path of destruction, 

flesh exploding on impact. 

loud noise C O N T A C T

GUN:

BARREL LOADED, 

TRIGGER COCKED, 

POINTED, 

ITS 

TARGET.....

L I F E ! !!

Who Shot You'

"Who Shot You" is a multi-genre photo exhibition by performance photographer Anthony Alden documenting urban musicians live in concert. Anthony Alden has photographed hundreds of nationally renowned artists over the past 15 years. He's the Founder and Publication Director of X Urban Music Magazine.  

Anthony Alden speaking on his late brother.

             Anthony Alden Vines speaking about his late brother Marvin Vines's artwork.

                                              www.marvinvines.com

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EMAIL:anthonyaldenart@gmail.com

PHONE: 704-312-0452

THE DIVERSITY OF EXPRESSION

 Feelings we try to chase, feelings we can't erase pictures capture our innermost thoughts of expression. This is a collection of photos I captured over the years moving in space and time.

The Last One Standing

While we may not have direct control over government politics, white corporate America, educational institutions, Hollywood, the judicial system, or financial institutions, there is one thing we can control: our own lives and the choices we make. I understand that our circumstances—such as police brutality, drugs, unemployment, poverty, broken families, inadequate education, and gang violence—can heavily influence these choices.

Accepting personal responsibility can be difficult because it's easy to fall into the mindset of being a victim. The attitude of “I have a felony conviction and can’t find a job, so I’m going back to the streets” is one that too many young men adopt. For many, the fear of incarceration is no longer a deterrent. Instead, imprisonment has become a badge of honor, a rite of passage that some young men proudly embrace.

It's challenging to maintain hope when your future feels unclear, unpredictable, and bleak due to an arrest record that leads only to rejection in the job market. The need to survive can drive individuals to desperate actions, making it easy for them to fall back into the traps of the criminal justice system. Society seems to view prisoners as necessary deposits, as there is a continual need to fill newly built jail cells. Given society's refusal to rehabilitate ex-felons and the tendency of parole officers to violate them over minor infractions, it appears that Black men are valued more inside prisons than outside.

Breaking the cycle of recidivism requires assistance, incentives, courage, perseverance, and family support. It’s easy for someone on the outside to tell a young man not to get caught in this trap, but from the inside, all he sees are roadblocks. With local governments not rushing to provide assistance, it falls to the individual to take action.

Growing up in a poor urban inner-city community, I faced daily peer pressure and temptation. I had to learn where to draw the line between right and wrong. My friends included both "good" kids and "bad" kids, and I welcomed friendships with all of them. Many of the cool kids engaged in risky behaviors while the good ones were often seen as nerds. As an athlete, I found acceptance in both groups, but I chose to hang out with the cool kids.

Group membership was based on the ability to fit in. I was involved in activities such as smoking weed, drinking alcohol, and fighting. As I entered high school, the requirements for fitting in shifted from being merely deviant to engaging in full-blown criminal activities like gang involvement, gun violence, drug dealing, and car theft.

I faced a critical choice: to be “cool” or to be my own man. Fortunately, I chose the latter, while some friends remained trapped in that life. One by one, they were caught, either going to jail or being murdered on the streets. I still stayed in touch with my surviving friends, but they felt trapped in a life that led to death and destruction, knowing it was just a matter of time before their number came up.

My best friend, Edie, whom I had known since elementary school, was one of those who couldn’t walk away. He had faced life-threatening situations multiple times: he’d been shot three times, stabbed inches from his heart, and had overdosed on THC four times, often finding himself in and out of detention by age 15. I started calling him “Cat Man” because he seemed to have nine lives. At that young age, I lacked the wisdom to offer advice that might persuade him away from a life of crime, but my loyalty to him was unwavering. Despite my mother’s disapproval, we remained close until his tragic death. At 17, he was murdered and left in the same streets to which he had pledged his loyalty.

Of the eight childhood friends I grew up with, five were murdered, and two are missing. I consider myself fortunate to have survived. We were just innocent children; our only crime was being born Black. The ghetto became our prison, with each of us held captive by poverty, drugs, and violence. Every day, we walked side by side with death, unaware of how it would eventually shape our futures. Surviving against all odds became a struggle that each of us faced.

I often reminisce about my childhood friends and the fun we shared—playing tackle football, having rock fights, wrestling, boxing, playing dodgeball, racing, and hiding. Little did we know that these games were preparing us to battle in an asphalt jungle known as the ghetto.

"When We Were Young" Photography On Exhibit April 1-30, 2019

Aunt Mona

“WHEN WE WERE YOUNG” collection is a nostalgic journey back to the days of innocence. Through the eye of a camera and a precision photographer, Anthony Alden Vines allows the viewer to reminisce our childhood.

Lost Child

Anthony Alden grew up in Toledo, Ohio the youngest from a family of ten, 8 boys, 2 girls.

The art of creativity was passed down to him by his father, the late Clifton Vines (photographer), who exposed him to his prolific creative gifts for documenting the black experience in Toledo, Ohio 1950s and ’60s through portrait photography.

Anthony Alden's diverse repertoire of imagery is inspired solely by his passion to verbalize the contemporary urban black experience. Each photograph echoed the demand for African Americans to be portrayed in a positive light.

A smile, a frown of discontent, first haircut, friendship, and exploration are just some of the precious moments this unique one of a kind, one-of-a-kind exhibit captures.

Bringing a message of peace and hope in today’s troubled world, “WHEN WE WERE YOUNG” will wrap a smile around your face.

Check Mate
Currently on exhibit April 1-30@ at Upper Cup Coffee, 79 Parsons Ave. Columbus, Ohio.

For exhibit information contact: anthonyaldenart@gmail.com