We did it!

Earlier this month, after two years of working side by side with Andrew Kilgore, we delivered a collection of 80 photographs from his archive to the University of Arkansas Special Collections. We’ve been calling it “The ’70s Through Andrew Kilgore’s Lens.” Many of these photographs have never been printed until now.

Andrew Kilgore signing the final prints, photographed by Brett Pitts

When I first saw a handful of these prints two years ago, they felt different from the portraits Andrew is best known for. Street scenes. Quiet moments. Old cars and familiar Fayetteville landmarks. Everyday life in the 1970s, seen through the eyes of someone in the first few years of what became a fifty-year practice. They felt like peering through a time machine—fresh, vulnerable, connected, nostalgic, and very real.

What I didn’t realize then was that those few prints were only the beginning. Thousands of negatives later, hours in the studio reviewing scans, and many conversations, we’ve brought together a body of work that shows Andrew experimenting, learning, and shaping the balance of design and story that has defined his photographs ever since.

Joshua LeMasters inserting a signed print into an archival plastic sleeve. Photo by Brett Pitts.

Now these images will live at the University of Arkansas Special Collections, where anyone can experience them—not just as history, but as part of Andrew’s lifelong journey as an artist.

I’m excited to share more of that journey in the coming weeks.

We have a lot of people to thank for helping make this a reality. To start: Joshua Cobbs Youngblood, Associate Dean for Special Collections, and Katrina Windon, Collections Management and Processing Unit Head at Mullins Library, for guiding us through the process with the University.

Joshua Cobbs Youngblood picks up the collection of prints from Andrew’s studio to deliver to deliver to the library. Photographed by Joshua LeMasters

Now these images will live at the University of Arkansas, Special Collections Library, where anyone can experience them—not just as history, but as part of Andrew’s lifelong journey as an artist.

Andrew Kilgore and Joshua LeMasters Celebrate the completion of printing and signing the 80 prints. Photo by Brett Pitts.

I’m excited to share more about that journey in the coming weeks.

Warmly,

Joshua LeMasters, Andrew’s Studio Manager