| OCR Text |
Show r SPOTLIGHT ON EXHIBITIO~ Insight: Women's Photographs from the George Eastman House Collection March 12 - May 24, 2000 In honor of the 75th anniversary of women's suffrage in 1995, the George Eastman House organized this exhibition to celebrate the achievements of women photographers. Drawn from the permanent collection, Insight features the work of more than 50 women, who document their worlds with acuity and compassion. Both diversity of subject and technique are embraced by these women with equal intensity. From the industrial landscapes of Margaret Bourke-White to the ethnographic and cultural musings of Carrie Mae Weems, the approaches to photography are as limitless as the imaginations of the women who produce them. Some photographers have chosen to explore industrial scenes and cities. Berenice Abbott wrote about her city work with great sensitivity. She noted, "The tempo of the metropolis is not of eternity, nor even time, but of the vanishing instant. Especially then has such a record a peculiarly(sic) documentary, as well as artistic, significance. All work that can salvage from oblivion the memorials of the metropolis will have value." Photographer Eva Watson-Schutze observed in 1905 that her picture-making was "the symbolical use of objects, forni, and color to express ideas." Recently, women's issues in the medium have focused on the self, to bring up issues of aging, sexuality, and self-definition, offering women a sense of power and legitimacy. As photographer Joan Myers puts it: "As a woman approaching fifty, I find myself less and less comfortable with the way ~American culture defines and portrays ~ r~ women .... I use my camera to explore, ~~sc~ibilities, the messages and histories expressed other women's bodies. I wish less to define than to reveal." In all the images presented in the exhibition, women illuminate their own experiences, confronting society's cannons and expectations of womanhood with an unflinching personal vision. This wide range of approaches to the medium also reflects the diversity of the Museum's photographic collection, which spans nearly 150 years of women's contributions. Besides the signed or credited images, hundreds more Kodak #1 and #2 photographs, studio portraits, albums, and books have been made within the family setting and are now part of this collection. This exhibition is made possible in part by the generous support of Nancy Woodhull, the Freedom Forum, and the Susan B. Anthony University Center. Insight is dedicated to the memory of Nancy ~Woodhull. ~ ART CHATS Students from Professor Mary Francey's art history class will receive credit for participating in our Saturday Art Chats. Art Chats are informal dialogues directed towards our drop-in Saturday visitors. Focusing on about four to six pieces in our collection, they combine ways of looking at art with a minimum of art history for the novice visitor to the Museum. I am exhilarated at this opportunity, partly because it will be exciting to see what new insights these students will bring to our collections. Thanks to Mary for her continuing support of our education programs. ·' |
