ALL ARTS Premieres The Darkroom MCs Today, Exploring Legacy, Craft and Culture Through the Lens of Photographers Beuford Smith, Joseph Rodriguez and more

The docuseries features darkroom sessions that illuminate the creative process and enduring influence of celebrated but often underrepresented Black photographic artists

NEW YORK, June 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- ALL ARTS the streaming platform and TV channel dedicated to the arts, will premiere The Darkroom MCs, a five-part documentary series created, directed, produced and co-hosted by photographers Russell Frederick and Anderson Zaca. Episodes will debut Wednesdays from June 18 to July 16 on the ALL ARTS website, YouTube channel and free streaming app. Broadcast airdates will be announced at a later date.

The Darkroom MCs — short for The Darkroom Masters of Culture — offers an intimate look into the work and process of pioneering photographers, including Beuford Smith, Joseph Rodriguez, Adama Delphine Fawundu, Ozier Muhammad and Russell Frederick. The series explores how images preserve memory, identity, culture, history and social justice.

"We are proud to present The Darkroom MCs to amplify these groundbreaking voices in photography," said Kristy Geslain, executive producer at ALL ARTS. "This series gives viewers rare insight into the artistry, backstories and lived experiences behind iconic images that have shaped visual culture."

The series will include:

ALL ARTS: The Darkroom MCs – Beuford Smith
Premieres Wednesday, June 18, 2025
Access: AD, CC available

Prolific social documentary photographer Beuford Smith died June 7 at age 84. He was the first photographer to join the project when Frederick and Zaca approached him four years ago. His work and philosophy influenced generations of artists throughout his 60-year career.

A founding member and former president of the Kamoinge Workshop, Smith reflects on his decades-long career in street photography, highlighting his most iconic images and techniques. He discusses his creative process, preferred film stock and contributions to the "Black Photographers Annual."

The Museum of Modern Art, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts include his work in their permanent collections. After his retirement, Roy DeCarava — known for his groundbreaking photographs of Harlem and Black American life — asked Smith to continue the photography program at Hunter College in New York City. Smith received the Griffin Museum's Cultural Legacy Award and was widely recognized for mentoring emerging photographers, including Frederick and Rodriguez.

ALL ARTS: The Darkroom MCs – Joseph Rodriguez
Premieres Wednesday, June 25, 2025
Access: AD, CC available

Joseph Rodriguez traces his evolution from photographing Spanish Harlem to becoming a leading voice in social documentary photography. The episode includes a darkroom printing session and explores his early work in New York City, along with key commercial assignments.

His work has appeared in National Geographic, The New York Times Magazine and Mother Jones. He is the author of 10 books, including "Spanish Harlem: El Barrio in the '80s," "East Side Stories" and "Still Here: Stories After Katrina." His photography has been exhibited internationally, and he has taught at New York University (NYU), Columbia University, Stanford University and the International Center of Photography (ICP).

He is represented by Galerie Bene Taschen in Cologne, Germany. Rodriguez has also mentored many aspiring photographers from Black and Latino communities who lacked access to formal education — including Frederick.

ALL ARTS: The Darkroom MCs – Adama Delphine Fawundu
Premieres Wednesday, July 2, 2025
Access: AD, CC available

Adama Delphine Fawundu shares her experimental outdoor printmaking practice, blending ancestral traditions, her Sierra Leonean heritage and New York hip-hop culture. The episode showcases her conceptual creative process and use of historical imagery.

Fawundu is co-author of "MFON: Women Photographers of the African Diaspora" and has received a Guggenheim Fellowship, CatchLight Fellowship and Anonymous Was A Woman

Award. The Brooklyn Museum, Princeton University Art Museum and the David C. Driskell Center include her work in their collections. She teaches visual arts at Columbia University.

ALL ARTS: The Darkroom MCs – Ozier Muhammad
Premieres Wednesday, July 9, 2025
Access: AD, CC available

Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Ozier Muhammad discusses his mission as a documentarian and revisits landmark assignments, including Barack Obama's first presidential campaign, Nelson Mandela's election and the 1980s famine in Ethiopia. The episode features a darkroom session in which he prints a 1994 Harlem photograph.

Muhammad began his career at Ebony magazine, then joined The Charlotte Observer in North Carolina. He later worked for Newsday and ended his career at The New York Times. He has reported across Africa, the Middle East and the United States, building a deeply human body of work over more than five decades.

ALL ARTS: The Darkroom MCs – Russell Frederick
Premieres Wednesday, July 16, 2025
Access: AD, CC available

Photographer Russell Frederick continues to create compelling work after losing sight in one eye due to glaucoma and a detached retina. Best known for his black-and-white portraits of Bedford-Stuyvesant, he reflects on storytelling, community and resilience in this episode.

Frederick's work is included in the permanent collections of the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago; the Gordon Parks Museum in Fort Scott, Kansas; the Library of Congress; the Brooklyn Museum; and the Musée National du Mali. His photography has appeared in outlets like The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, PBS, ESPN and Slate. He has received grants from the Open Society Foundations, the New York Foundation for the Arts and the Laundromat Project. Frederick has taught at NYU and ICP, and has led UNESCO photography workshops in Ethiopia and South Sudan.

The Darkroom MCs is a production of The Darkroom Masters LLC and The WNET Group. Created, directed, produced and co-hosted by Anderson Zaca and Russell Frederick. Editors are André Macluf, Anderson Zaca and Russell Frederick. Givaldo Aires "Creke" is the director of photography and cinematographer.

For ALL ARTS: Kristy Geslain is Executive Producer. James King is Senior Artistic Director. Anna Campbell is Senior Multimedia Producer. Darren Peister is editor. Diane Masciale and Neal Shapiro are Executives in Charge.

About ALL ARTS
ALL ARTS is the premier destination for inspiration, creativity and art of all forms. This New York Emmy-winning arts and culture hub is created by The WNET Group, the community-supported home of New York's PBS stations. ALL ARTS' Webby-winning programming — from digital shorts and feature films to news and written interviews — is available through AllArts.org, the free ALL ARTS app on all major streaming platforms and @AllArtsTV on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, X and TikTok. Viewers can also watch ALL ARTS TV, the 24/7 broadcast channel available in the New York area, and tune into ALL ARTS Radio Hour. For all the ways to watch, visit AllArts.org/Everywhere.

About The WNET Group 
The WNET Group creates inspiring media content and meaningful experiences for diverse audiences nationwide. It is the community-supported home of New York's THIRTEEN – America's flagship PBS station – WLIW21, THIRTEEN PBSKids, WLIW World and Create; NJ PBS, New Jersey's statewide public television network; Long Island's only NPR station WLIW-FM; ALL ARTS, the arts and culture media provider; newsroom NJ Spotlight News; and FAST channel PBS Nature. Through these channels and streaming platforms, The WNET Group brings arts, culture, education, news, documentary, entertainment and DIY programming to more than five million viewers each month. The WNET Group's award-winning productions include signature PBS series Nature, Great Performances, American Masters and Amanpour and Company and trusted local news programs like NJ Spotlight News with Briana Vannozzi. Inspiring curiosity and nurturing dreams, The WNET Group's award-winning Kids' Media and Education team produces the PBS KIDS series Cyberchase, interactive Mission US history games, and resources for families, teachers and caregivers. A leading nonprofit public media producer for more than 60 years, The WNET Group presents and distributes content that fosters lifelong learning, including initiatives addressing poverty, jobs, economic opportunity, social justice, understanding and the environment. Through Passport, station members can stream new and archival programming anytime, anywhere. The WNET Group represents the best in public media. Join us. 

SOURCE The WNET Group