Jack Robinson was born in Meridian, MS in 1928 and was known as a quiet, artistic young man. He attended Tulane University and fell in love with the wild, bohemian culture he found in New Orleans. Hanging out with the likes of Tennessee Williams and Truman Capote solidified his desire to pursue a career in fine art and become a photographer. Through documenting every day New Orleans life, especially the extravagance of queer Mardi Gras, Jack honed his photography skills and style. After some encouragement from his friend Betty Parsons, Jack made the jump to NYC and began to shoot editorials and fashion spreads for magazines like Vogue, The Yew York Times, and Life under the mentorship of the legendary Carrie Donovan. During this time, Jack crossed paths and photographed everyone from Andy Warhol to Clint Eastwood. His extensive archive speaks for itself!⁣

In the early 70’s Jack began to drink more and fell into The Factory party scene. His work soon started to suffer and the jobs began to dry up. By 1972, he had had enough. He headed back to the south and eventually settled in Memphis, TN. Being the artistic person he was, he decided to dabble in a different medium and began exploring stained glass work. Dan Oppenheimer owned the Rainbow Stained Glass Studio and was experimenting with many different techniques. Since jack always liked experimenting in the dark room with his photographs, he was intrigued! Jack introduced himself to Dan out of the blue and they soon began working together. Jack would go on to win an international award for his design and fabrication of the windows in the Danny Thomas Chapel at St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. Despite the life he built in Memphis, Jack kept the any word of his photography days under wraps. ⁣When he passed away in 1997, Jack left his estate to his good friend Dan Oppenheimer. Dan was shocked to discover the boxes upon boxes of film Jack had kept in his apartment. From negatives of Joni Mitchell, to Leonard Cohen, Jack Nicholson, and Cher, the list went on and on! With all of this beautiful art now in his possession, Dan created the Jack Robinson Gallery as a preservation of Jack's memory and his amazing work.