ALBANY, N.Y. - The State Museum is marking the 100th birthday of photographer Gordon Parks with an exhibit of his works.

The show opening on Jan. 26 showcases six decades of Parks' photographs. It will include his most famous photo, "American Gothic, Washington, D.C.," which shows a black cleaning woman standing in front of an American flag with a broom and a mop.

State Education Commissioner John King says Parks' work helped drive the Civil Rights movement by exposing the stark realities of life faced by many African Americans.

The State Museum display is organized by the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. The exhibit includes images from the Farm Security Administration and Office of War Information collections at the Library of Congress.

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