On Seeing | Marna Clarke, Jo Ann Chaus & Judi Iranyi

We are excited for our next panel conversation between photographers showcasing the wide range of creativity on a single idea or series. Our online program On Seeing is a monthly conversation bringing together members of the Griffin community to share their work, ideas and creativity with a broader audience. We are thrilled to bring together these artists who have unique perspectives on creativity and the world they inhabit.

This event is FREE to Griffin Museum members. $10 for Non Members. Interested in Membership and its benefits? See more about what the Griffin offers here.

This month we are pleased to bring together three artists Marna Clarke, Jo Ann Chaus and Judi Iranyi, taking an introspective look at visibility, self reflection and identity.

Marna Clarke –

© Marna Clarke

A black and white Kodak advertisement caught my attention.  The simple image of a cityscape with a teenage boy leaning against a wall plastered with faded, torn posters portrayed an honest and oddly poignant moment.

It was 1972.  I was living in New York City, married with two small sons.  Inspired by the ad, I started carrying a point & shoot camera and capturing whatever struck me as memorable or unsettling.  I soon bought a 35mm SLR camera and began educating myself with classes and exhibitions.  At night I would transform my kitchen into a darkroom and stay up late watching the chemicals turn my observations into silver images.  After moving with my family to Hartford, Connecticut, I built a legitimate darkroom in the basement of my house.  In 1981, I began working professionally with a focus on portraiture, weddings and events.  Color landscapes I had done in Europe and America landed me magazine work and eventually architecture/interior design documentation and advertising.  I continued to pursue my own projects, receiving a Connecticut Individual Artist’s Grant in 1987 for experimentation in B&W portraiture.  I taught at the Hartford Art School for a couple of years as an adjunct instructor.

In 1992 I stopped photographing, sold all my equipment and most of my possessions, and traveled.  I had become certified to teach English as a Second Language and wanted employment in Europe.  Instead I ended up in an ashram in India teaching English and learning meditation.  I moved to California in 1996, and in 2005 began again to capture the world both within and around me.  I had met a man who invited me to live with him, had gifted me a digital camera and told me to get back to work.  I’m still with this man and still photographing.

Jo Ann Chaus –

© Jo Ann Chaus

Jo Ann Chaus (b. 1954) is an American photographer from and based in the New York metro area. She is a color photographer and printer, influenced by the early color giants William Eggleston, Stephen Shore and Saul Leiter, and by Elinor Carucci and Jen Davis’ intimate family and self portraiture. She holds to certificates from the International Center of Photography in New York City.

In 2016 Jo Ann self published “Sweetie & Hansom”, a 60 image book with original text, about her parents, siblings and husband. She continues to create images for “Conversations with Myself”, her work of self portraiture that uses light, location, and a curated collection of props and garments to create a bridge between the present and the past in this 75+ body of work referencing women, family and identity.

Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, and holds special recognitions and awards: Critical Mass 200, 2019, PDN Emerging Photographer FALL 2019 Winner, Winner 13th Pollux Awards non-professional category, Klompching 2019 Fresh! Finalist, Candela Unbound8! juried exhibition, 14th Julia Margaret Cameron Awards Honorable Mention, Juror’s Choice South East Center for Photography Portrait Exhibition 2019, Permanent collection at the Center for Creative Photography, Tuscon, AZ, Qualities of Light Exhibition.

Judi Iranyi –

© Judi Iranyi

Judi Iranyi was born in Hungary (1943). After World War II, she emigrated with her family to Venezuela, where she lived until she finished high school. She also lived in Trinidad, Barbados, Germany, and Okinawa before moving to San Francisco in 1971.

Ms. Iranyi became interested in photography in the sixties. She earned a BA degree in Art/Photography from San Francisco State University. Later she received an MA degree in Visual Design from U.C. Berkeley; completed a master’s level museum studies program at John F. Kennedy University; and an MSW Degree in Social Work at San Francisco State University.

Ms. Iranyi has worked as a freelance photographer taking environmental portraits. She was also a staff photographer at the Judah L. Magnes Museum in Berkeley and worked at the San Francisco Fine Arts Museums.

However she worked as a Licensed clinical Social Worker until her retirement.

After retirement, Ms Iranyi dedicated her time to photography. She has been published; exhibited in group and solo shows across the United States and Europe; and self-published two books: “Arg-e-Bam,” about the ancient citadel in Iran, and “Remembering Michael,” a tribute to her son, who died of AIDS in 1984.

Her work includes portraits, travel photography, documentary, and street photography. Recently she has shifted her emphasis to botanicals and still life photography.

Three of her life passions are traveling, literature, and photography. Traveling and literature have broadened her view of the world.