A Meaningful Encounter: PAMM at Deo Gratias Photo Studio
- stefanitamakloe
- 4 days ago
- 1 min read
On the morning of November 3, 2025, a distinguished group from Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) arrived at the historic Deo Gratias Photo Studio in Jamestown, Accra. Led by Director Franklin Sirmans and Jorge and Darlene Pérez, the delegation included many of the museum’s most valued donors and supporters, all on an exploratory tour of Ghana’s vibrant art scene.
They were welcomed by Kate Tamakloe, the studio’s director and granddaughter of founder J.K. Bruce-Vanderpuije. For over an hour, Kate guided the group through the studio’s remarkable archive of more than 50,000 images capturing Ghana’s history from 1922 to the present day.
The visit was nothing short of inspiring. Guests marveled at vintage cameras, glass plate negatives, and iconic portraits of Kwame Nkrumah, everyday Ghanaians, and historic moments that shaped our country Ghana. Franklin Sirmans noted the profound resonance between PAMM’s commitment to contemporary art and Deo Gratias’s century-long dedication to preserving visual memory.
“This is not just a studio,” said one attendee.
“It’s a living archive of resilience and creativity.”
The conversation flowed easily, with Kate sharing stories of her grandfather’s revolutionary use of photography as a tool for independence and her own work digitizing the collection for future generations. By the time the group departed just before 1:00pm, there was a shared sense of having witnessed something truly special.
Thank you for visiting the Deo Gratias Studio!
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