Photographer, visual artist and documentarian Clark Jones Quin, 72, died August 25 in his hometown of Columbia, Tennessee following an extended illness.
The son of Maj. Oliver Benton Quin, III and Harriette Jones Quin, Clark was born in Jackson, Mississippi but reared in Columbia. His parents preceded him in death. He proudly attended McDowell School and graduated with the legendary Central High School Class of 1968. After attending the College of William and Mary, he traveled to western Massachusetts where he helped organize a farm-based collective (“commune”), Kiln House, eventually making his way to Boston to pursue a career in commercial photography.
After working under the guidance of his accomplished mentor, John van S, Clark established his own business and attracted clients such as Polaroid Corporation, Fidelity Investments, Levi Strauss & Co. and other large national firms as well as doing extensive portrait work where he magically captured the spirit and character of his subjects. He became an institution in Boston’s Fort Point Arts Community where he maintained a large studio. Clark was especially proud of his work for Boston’s famous Fenway Park and a cover for the tech publication Wired magazine. In addition to his commercial work, Clark was a prolific documentary photographer and his hundreds of photos of both Boston and his home county in Tennessee capture many of its lost faces and landmarks. Clark’s wry humor and appreciation and ability to convey beauty will always endure in his work.
A major stroke in 2003 left Clark with severe aphasia, a disorder that made it difficult for him to communicate verbally. While this would prove frustrating to him for the remainder of his life, he refused to be defeated by his challenges. Clark’s determination to eloquently express himself through photography when words were no longer accessible to him resulted in some of his finest and most memorable work.
After more than 30 years away, Clark returned to his hometown of Columbia where he moved into and preserved his family’s 100 year old home in the Athenaeum Historic District and continued his love affair with his town and county. He became an avid gardener and birder, adopted three cats (his “photo assistants”), and became a fixture around his town, photographing town residents, landscapes and events, especially the annual Mule Day celebration which he adored. Clark loved many musical traditions and taught himself to play the guitar and mandolin. He also enjoyed practicing yoga, travel, his Athenaeum district neighbors and documenting the changing cultural landscape.
He was preceded in death by his older brother Oliver Benton Quin, IV. Survivors include his younger brother Richard, beloved aunt Pauline Wilkes, first cousins Helen Hickman, Kay Curtis, Nancy Wilkes and Buddy Wilkes, and by his Boston family of his heart, Andrea Tishman, Peter Simon and their children Oliver, Nate and Ariel. In Columbia, he was indebted to his Athenaeum district neighbors and to his loving caregivers and friends Bennett Moon, Rebecca Moon, Monty Uptain and Roger Denton.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, October 8 at 2 PM at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Columbia. Symbolic pallbearers are Columbia friends Buzz Lovell, Steve Truelove, Jim Richardson, Will Ridley, John Whiteside, John Chapman, Andy Crichton, Teresa Smith, Tom Price, Dan McEwen, Whit Barr, Mike and Nancy Williams, Don Herron and Roberta Norskog, and Boston friends Judy West, Cheryl Forte, Debbie Aliff, Ron Cameron, Dana Sigall, Mari Quirk and Barbara Benagh. A reception, including a small retrospective of Clark’s work, will be held in the church’s Parish House following the service.
The family suggests memorials to causes Clark supported, the Tennessee Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, P.O. Box 1014 Brentwood, TN 37024 or the African American Heritage Society of Maury County, P.O. Box 1403, Columbia, TN 38402.
