Exhibitions

A Yellow Rose Project Interview with Toni Pepe

Posted on October 7, 2025

Toni Pepe’s Mothercraft is an ongoing body of work that reexamines 20th-century press photographs of motherhood in U.S. media, revealing movement, both socially and politically, as records of the shifting identity of motherhood and women’s liberation, and durationally as physical images that were held, touched and eventually abandoned. This work is currently on display with the traveling exhibition A Yellow Rose Project at the Griffin Museum of Photography at its Winchester galleries from October 2nd through November 30th. We had the opportunity to chat with Toni, and her responses are as follows.

Portrait of Toni Pepe, Courtesy of the Artist

Toni Pepe constructs prints and three-dimensional assemblages from discarded newspaper images, family snapshots, and obsolete photographic equipment to explore how photography shapes our perception of time, space, and self. Her practice considers the layers of information a print can impart to the viewer beyond the image. Whether it is the presence of text, subtle stains, or crop marks, each element offers a glimpse into the photograph’s journey and its significance as an object in the world. Photographic prints are more than static images; they suspend our likenesses and histories beneath surfaces that are continually transformed by the effects of time and physical contact.

Pepe currently serves as the Chair of Photography and Assistant Professor of Art at Boston University. She has exhibited her work nationally and internationally, including at Blue Sky Gallery, the Center for Photography at Woodstock and The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA). Pepe’s work is in the permanent collections at the MFA; the Boston Athenaeum, Fidelity, the Danforth Art Museum; Candela Books + Gallery; The Magenta Foundation; and many private collections. She received a MacDowell Fellowship in 2024 and completed a residency at Frans Masereel Centrum in 2023.

Follow Toni Pepe on Instagram: @toni.pepe

Allison Huang: When selecting these press photographs, were you seeking specific records of women’s liberation and voting rights? What drew you to each, and is there one that resonated with you the most?

Toni Pepe: I was drawn to photographs that carried both a strong visual charge and a caption that unsettled it—complicated, reframed, revealed something unexpected. My only search word was “vote.” From there, I let the results lead me. What held me was the friction: how an image said one thing, while the text pushed it elsewhere, made the ground shift beneath it.

The richness, for me, isn’t in any single photograph but in the gathering. The way repetition works, the way certain words or images return with slight variation, layering into a longer story about the 19th Amendment and women’s liberation. It’s that build-up—those echoes, those slippages—that give the history its weight.

©Toni Pepe, *At Present,* From *A Yellow Rose Project*, All Images Courtesy of the Artist

AH: In Mrs. Nixon, you pin newspaper clippings and backlight them to emphasize the text. Why did you prioritize the text? Was it to reveal the language of the period, expose media bias toward women, or encourage individuals to see history in a new light?

TP: I’m drawn to the text for a few reasons. From a contemporary perspective, it reveals how women’s stories have been framed—what language was acceptable, what was emphasized, what was left unsaid. That language shifts over time, but the structures beneath it often persist. My aim isn’t to look back with judgment; it’s to show how progress isn’t linear or guaranteed. The text exposes the frame through which these stories were filtered and received. A press photograph is often imagined as neutral, free from bias—but once you read the caption, you realize the image is anything but.

©Toni Pepe, *Mrs. Nixon,* From *A Yellow Rose Project*, On Display at the *Griffin Museum of Photography*

AH: Has your understanding of the 19th Amendment, along with its intersections with art, activism, and even motherhood, changed through the process of creating Mothercraft? If so, in what ways has that shift influenced how you approach both your creative practice and your role as an artist and mother?

TP: Mothercraft grew out of my work for A Yellow Rose Project. What began as searching, as following a word—“vote”—turned into the impulse to build an archive. Not one that tells a singular story, but one that exposes the many ways women were pictured, described, and circulated through the twentieth century.

I began to think differently about the photograph—not just as an image, but as an object that holds time in multiple registers: the moment of exposure, the editorial hand, the caption, the years it spent forgotten. The prints I found weren’t preserved in institutional archives; they were drifting on eBay, abandoned, almost lost. That sense of fragility became part of the work.

History, for me, is accumulation, the layering and repetition of what we keep and what slips away. Mothercraft is my attempt to gather those fragments and preserve the traces that might otherwise dissolve into time.

©Toni Pepe, *I’d Rather Be,* From *A Yellow Rose Project*

AH: Mrs. Nixon was an entry point for A Yellow Rose Project at Boston University in 2021. Now that it’s showing at the Griffin Museum, does its return to Boston feel like a kind of homecoming, or has the work taken on new dimensions since its original debut?

TP: It does feel like a homecoming, though more in the sense of circling back and finding the work changed. Mrs. Nixon was an entry point, the door that led me deeper into archives, and the path soon opened into the Women and Gender Issues Collection at the Boston Public Library. For the past year I’ve been immersed in that material—press photographs that hold a complex, often contradictory record of women in the public eye. From crime victims and survivors to beauty queens and “exceptional” women in their fields, the images reveal two sides of the same coin, the violent and the celebratory constructed in parallel, often reinforcing one another.

When the piece first showed at BU, it was in the early days of Covid. I was one of the few artists who actually got to stand in front of it. That strangeness—of a show almost without an audience—has stayed with me. So I’m grateful for the Griffin’s return to the work, for the chance to see it again in a space where it can reach a wider audience.

©Toni Pepe, *On Tip Toe,* From *A Yellow Rose Project*

AH: Following up on the previous question, how does sharing this work locally enhance your role not just as an artist, but as an educator committed to critical dialogue around gender, politics, and representation?

TP: Showing the work locally means it doesn’t just live in galleries—it enters classrooms, conversations, the rhythms of daily life. It allows my practice and my teaching to overlap, for students to see how research, politics, and lived experience can be held inside an artwork.

The archive is never neutral. Press photographs, clippings, fragments—they show us how women’s stories have been framed, erased, repeated. Sharing this work with students turns the archive into a site of dialogue, a place to ask harder questions about gender, power, representation, then and now.

In that way the local feels essential. The work doesn’t just preserve history, it cultivates a habit of attention—a way of looking I hope my students carry with them.

©Toni Pepe, *Vote Here,* From *A Yellow Rose Project*

AH: Finally, Mothercraft explores how photography shapes our understanding of the past. How do you envision it evolving in conversation with archives, activism, and collective memory, especially as new historical narratives and social movements emerge?

TP: I think of Mothercraft less as a closed project than as a living archive, one that keeps changing as new narratives and movements come into view. Photography has always been a way of fixing time, but also of unsettling it—what we choose to preserve, what gets forgotten, what returns in altered form.

As I work with these images, I’m reminded that collective memory isn’t static. It bends, shifts, opens to revision. The archive, too, is porous—shaped by what it holds and what it leaves out. Activism often begins in those gaps, in the insistence that certain lives, certain struggles, be seen.

So I imagine the work evolving alongside those demands. Not as a definitive account, but as a site of dialogue—between past and present, between loss and possibility. A reminder that history is never finished; it’s something we keep remaking together.

Interview by Allison Huang, Curation and Exhibitions Admin Intern

Allison Huang is the Curation and Exhibitions Admin Intern from White Plains, New York. She recently graduated from Boston University with a B.A. in History of Art and Architecture and Biology, along with a minor in Visual Arts. With a passion for storytelling and audience engagement, she is dedicated to collaborating with artists to expand their creative potential while fostering more inclusive and dynamic artistic spaces. Her research interests include the work of lesser-known artists, the representation of marginalized communities in art, and issues of repatriation. In her creative practice, she works primarily with analog photography and oil painting.

Griffin Museum of Photography – Winchester, Massachusetts

A Yellow Rose Project Interview with Meg Griffiths

Posted on October 6, 2025

The Griffin Museum of Photography is honored to present A Yellow Rose Project, a photographic collaboration of responses, reflections, and reactions to the 19th Amendment from over one hundred women across the United States. This traveling exhibition is on view at the Griffin’s Winchester galleries from October 2nd through November 30th, 2025. We had an opportunity to chat with co-curator and artist Meg Griffiths, and her responses are as follows.

Portrait of Meg Griffiths. Courtesy of the Artist

Meg Griffiths (b. 1980) in Indiana and raised in Texas. She received Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of Texas in Cultural Anthropology and English Literature and earned her Master of Fine Arts in Photography from Savannah College of Art and Design. She currently lives in Denton, Texas where she is an Assistant Professor of Photography in the Department of Visual Art at Texas Woman’s University.

Meg’s photographic research currently deals with domestic, economic, historical and cultural relationships across the Southern United States and Cuba. Her work has travelled nationally as well as internationally, and is placed in collections such as Center for Creative Photography, Capitol One Collection, and the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, and Center for Fine Art Photography.

Her book projects, both monographs as well as collaborative projects have been acquired by various institutions around the country such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Duke University Libraries, Museum of Modern Art, University of Virginia, University of Iowa, Clemson, Maryland Institute College of Art, Ringling College of Art, and Washington and Lee University, to name a few.

She was honored as one of PDN 30’s : New and Emerging Photographers in 2012, named one of eight Emerging Photographers at Blue Spiral Gallery in 2015, Atlanta Celebrates Photography’s Ones to Watch in 2016, was awarded the Julia Margaret Cameron for Best Fine Art Series in 2017 and awarded the 2nd Place Prize at PhotoNola in 2019.

She is represented by Photographs Do Not Bend in Dallas, TX and Candela Books + Gallery in Richmond, VA.

Follow Meg Griffiths on Instagram: @megsheagriffiths
Follow A Yellow Rose Project on Instagram: @ayellowroseproject

Allison Huang: What initially inspired both you and your co-curator, Frances Jakubek, to co-found A Yellow Rose Project?

Meg Griffiths: Honestly, for my part, I was inspired by the mission of Texas Woman’s University, the nation’s largest public university primarily for women. It is a place where you are surrounded by women working and collaborating together. Where the goal is to support and empower each person to use their voices through their chosen fields. It is an incredibly special university. I always knew I wanted to do something larger than myself and collaborate with women to make photographic work. However, it was not until I met Frances that I knew who I wanted to generate and launch this project with. We knew the centennial of the 19th Amendment was coming up and we thought this would be the perfect charge for women to make work in response, reflection and reaction to.

©Meg Griffiths, *Stone message, 1920*, From *A Yellow Rose Project*, All Images Courtesy of the Artist

AH: How has your understanding of the 19th Amendment and the intersection of art and activism changed throughout the process of curating the work of all these women photographers for this
exhibition?

MG: Art and more specifically photography is such a powerful way to engage people. To create an opportunity for viewers to encounter what is happening in the world. It also has a lasting way of connecting us to key moments in history. It is the photograph that we use to reflect, respond and react to culture and politics. Many of those images stick with us. I believe the work in this project will too. We thoughtfully considered all the images submitted for the project, all of which were accepted and are housed on our website, and we chose images for the exhibition and for the book that showed the full scope of those thoughts by women in the U.S. concerning this moment in time

What I learned from looking through all the submissions, was just how varied the responses to this call could be. These artists went to places my mind would never have gone. This is exactly what we wanted. We chose to work with women of all ages, stages in their careers, as well as cultural backgrounds. We wanted a kaleidoscope of viewpoints. Each artist also chose to express those ideas through various modes of research, genres and material choices. As Lisa Volpe writes in the introduction of our book, “each stands as a yellow rose.” Each of the submissions is unique. It has been a complete delight to revisit the work every time there is a show. Each show sequenced and presented differently to create a new conversation. There are many layers of meaning here and those keep changing over time.

©Meg Griffiths, *Subtle fusion of time*, From *A Yellow Rose Project*, On Display at the *Griffin Museum of Photography*

AH: In your still life images, you discuss how your work draws upon the written accounts of
suffragists from the 1920s and your own personal history. Is there a specific still life that resonates with you the most?

MG: In doing research to make work for this project I came across one story that struck me, and as such, was the inspiration for the photograph I constructed entitled, Ethel Byrne, 185 hours, 1917. It references an experience had by a political prisoner during the movement. Ethel Byrne was a suffragist, Irish-American, nurse, sister to Margaret Sanger and one of the three Mother’s of what is known as Planned Parenthood. She was arrested in 1917 for distributing pamphlets on birth control and sentenced to jail for 30 days at Blackwell Island workhouse in New York City. Advocating for the legalization of birth control Byrne went on a hunger strike for 185 days. Authorities quickly put a stop to it and Ethel Byrne became the first woman force fed in the United States. Raw eggs were commonly used as food to push protein into the body, usually through a tube down the throat or the nose. If you go online and search you will find a few photos and illustrations of women being held down by several people, many women, while a man pushes food down her throat. By no means was this one of the worst things to happen to a woman fighting for reproductive rights in history, but it was upsetting to say the least. Often women were given flowers and pins when they were released, a show of care and respect for the time earned in prison for the cause. The story resonated with me as my ancestors came from Ireland in the early 1900’s. Many pioneers of the suffrage movement were immigrants too. I also felt drawn to make work around this topic as so many women, including myself, have benefitted from the support and care that Planned Parenthood has given women through the years. This photo was generated as an homage to this remarkable woman and to all the immigrant women in history who bore great sacrifice for the greater whole.

©Meg Griffiths, Just, 2020, From A Yellow Rose Project

AH: Previously, A Yellow Rose Project was exhibited at Texas Woman’s University in November
2020 and again with all 105 images in August of 2025. What did it mean to you to show this work in Texas — both as your home institution and a place where the yellow rose carries additional cultural significance?

MG: There are a number of reasons that it has and still means a lot to show the work in Texas. For one, it is my home state, I grew up here, came of age to vote here, and now live, raise a child and teach here. Like I mentioned before, Texas Woman’s is a unique school, not only predominantly for women, however the student body is incredibly diverse. Having the work here for this student body, alumni, faculty and staff to engage with this work nowhas meant so much to me and to them. Beyond this, it is a state where I feel literally all the policies and laws that have been made affect every aspect of my life as well as the lives of those around me. For this reason, I actively vote and stay involved. I have always said that creating and touring this project is activism for me. It is a way to remind us all that rights, once hard fought, are not to be taken for granted. It is through the act of standing up and showing up, in that long tradition of women before us, that we must participate and have the tough conversations, and make the choice to voice our truths, either through the photograph or the ballot box.

We are aware of the similarity in the name between The Yellow Rose of Texas, the song as well as the woman given the name for her role in the Battle at San Jacinto between General Santa Anna and Sam Houston. We have been asked if there is any overlap in why we chose to name this project A Yellow Rose Project with The Yellow Rose of Texas, however there is no connection for us. The name we placed upon the project is solely derived from the yellow rose as one of the suffrage symbols across all states and the roses women and men wore at the Tennessee State House back in August 20, 1920. The yellow rose being the pro-suffrage symbol and the red rose the anti-suffrage one.

©Meg Griffiths, *Ethel Byrne, 185 hours, 1917*, From *A Yellow Rose Project*

AH: Following up on the next question, how does the project magnify, challenge, or illuminate specific issues to this region?

MG: There are only a handful of artists in the project that are from Texas, and of those, many are not making work about the issues we are facing here specifically. However we here in Texas have experienced major injustices and inequalities. There are policies that have been created to hinder voting, women’s issues, lgbtqia+ rights and gender affirming care, educational freedoms as well as immigration rights. There are a number of artists in this project as a whole speaking to these issues being faced, to some degree, in all states across the U.S.. I do believe that those images magnify these particular human rights struggles.

©Meg Griffiths, *Bell Jar and Bluebird*, From *A Yellow Rose Project*

AH: What parallels do you see between the suffragists’ fight for voting rights and the challenges women and marginalized communities are still confronting in 2025?

MG: There are many parallels. The suffrage movement and today’s issues include the ongoing fight against voter suppression as well as the failure to recognize the rights of women of color, which is still persistent today. We had discriminatory laws such as poll taxes, literacy tests, and grandfather clauses to keep them from voting. We have modern day versions of this. A weakened Voting Rights Act of 1965, redistricting, ending mail in ballots, and laws such as the SAVE Act which recently passed the House. Beyond this though, this discrimination affects the ability to participate in making choices on how to protect other freedoms, such as reproductive rights, economic justice, pay equity, protection against violence, child education, and safety for lgbtqia+ communities, families and children. Not to mention the weaponization of the military against its own people and in particular marginalized communities.

AH: What do you hope audiences, especially younger generations, take away from this show, and how do you see the role of art in remembering our shared history and inspiring activism today?

MG: My hope is that it engages and incites young people. Yes, we have come so far. Let’s not forget that it was not that long ago a woman could not own a house, a credit card, or get a loan. However, that pendulum of progress, for however far it has swung forward, is moving quickly in the opposite direction. So I hope it educates, creates conversation, community, and hopefully action. I want young audiences to find their own place in history as it is being written right now!

Interview by Allison Huang, Curation and Exhibitions Admin Intern

Allison Huang is the Curation and Exhibitions Admin Intern from White Plains, New York. She recently graduated from Boston University with a B.A. in History of Art and Architecture and Biology, along with a minor in Visual Arts. With a passion for storytelling and audience engagement, she is dedicated to collaborating with artists to expand their creative potential while fostering more inclusive and dynamic artistic spaces. Her research interests include the work of lesser-known artists, the representation of marginalized communities in art, and issues of repatriation. In her creative practice, she works primarily with analog photography and oil painting.

Griffin Museum of Photography – Winchester, Massachusetts

A Yellow Rose Project Interview with Frances Jakubek

Posted on September 30, 2025

Portrait of Frances Jakubek. Courtesy of the Artist

Frances Jakubek is a photographer, curator and advocate for photography. She is the Director of Bruce Silverstein Gallery in New York City and past Associate Curator of the Griffin Museum of Photography in Winchester, Massachusetts. Recent curatorial appointments include I Surrender, Dear at Umbrella Arts Gallery, New York; Drawing the Line at Bruce Silverstein Gallery, New York; Grief on NY Photo Curator, and The RefridgeCurator in Boston, Massachusetts. Her personal work focuses on self-portraiture and how the body is perceived within different contexts. Her photographs have been exhibited at The Southern Contemporary Art Gallery in Charleston, SC; Filter Space; Chicago, IL; Camera Commons in Dover, NH; and The Hess Gallery at Pine Manor College, MA. She has been a guest writer for various publications and for artist monographs including Serrah Russell’s tears, tears. Jakubek has been a panelist for the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s Photography fellowships, speaker for The Photo Brigade and juror for exhibitions throughout the US including United Photo Industry’s ‘The Fence’ and PDN’s ‘The Curator Awards’.

Follow Frances Jakubek on Instagram: @franciepants
Follow A Yellow Rose Project on Instagram: @ayellowroseproject

Allison Huang: What inspired you and your co-curator, Meg Griffiths, to conceptualize and co-curate A Yellow Rose Project, and how has that vision evolved since then?

Frances Jakubek: The centennial felt like a moment of pure celebration…one hundred years of women’s right to vote. But as we learned more, we couldn’t ignore the inequality and erasure that still shape that history. Inspired by books like Odette England’s Keeper of the Hearth and Women of Vision, we invited a community of artists to join us in creating a collective voice through photography. Our aim was not only to honor the past, but to insist, right now, that women’s voices must be recorded and remembered, with hopes that is will be accessed in another 100 years.

©Frances Jakubek, *Alabama Voter Registration Form*, From *A Yellow Rose Project*, All Images Courtesy of the Artist

AH: A Yellow Rose Project brings together over 100 female and nonbinary photographers. What challenges and rewards came with curating such a large and diverse body of work?

FJ: It has been an incredible gift to have over 100 artists commit their time and work to this project. From the beginning, we promised to create awareness for the work at no cost to participants, recognizing the frequent imbalances in labor and compensation that women in this field often face. The greatest reward has been the expansion of our community, connecting artists to one another, to us, and to audiences, even when many of us have yet to meet in person. Of course, with 100 contributors come logistical challenges, contracts, managing image files, and communications, but the camaraderie and support shared among this group make it all worthwhile.

©Frances Jakubek, *Georgia Voter Registration Form*, From *A Yellow Rose Project*

AH: Do you think the symbolism of the yellow rose still resonates with contemporary audiences? Has its meaning evolved as new rights movements emerge?

FJ: The yellow rose remains a powerful symbol of justice and democracy. Yellow has long carried dual meanings like tenderness and femininity, as well as caution and hazard. In suffrage, it marked women who stood at the edge of safety to have their voices heard. Today, that history persists, reminding us that in a political climate not built in our best interests, we must continue to stand up for ourselves.

©Frances Jakubek, *Nevada Voter Registration Form*, From *A Yellow Rose Project*

AH: In your contribution to A Yellow Rose Project, what inspired your use of image distortion to reflect the confusion and frustration caused by voter suppression?

FJ: These images are meant to mirror the barriers that continue to restrict voter registration. The distortion of the forms symbolizes the confusion and frustration created by suppression tactics, both past and present. Referencing the impossible literacy tests and timed exams of the past to today’s obstacles, such as redistricting, documentation hurdles, and rejected mail-in ballots, the obfuscation is intentional, reflecting how these measures are designed to discourage participation and silence voices.

©Frances Jakubek, *New Jersey Voter Registration Form*, From *A Yellow Rose Project*, On Display at the *Griffin Museum of Photography*

AH: Five years after the 19th Amendment centennial, what does it mean to you to see A Yellow Rose Project still touring in 2025, and what does that say about the current state of women’s rights?

FJ: Each time we speak about this project, we confront the reality that the very right we set out to celebrate is now under active threat. When the work first launched in 2020, at the height of the pandemic, only a few exhibitions were possible, and many people were unable to experience them in person. In some ways, the book’s arrival five years later feels like perfect timing. We’ve been able to gather essays that situate the project in a moment when rights once assumed to be secure are being eroded. Presenting it now, in 2025, allows the work to be seen not only as a commemoration of suffrage but also as part of an urgent historical continuum of women standing up for their voices and futures.

©Frances Jakubek, *Texas Voter Registration Form*, From *A Yellow Rose Project*

AH: If this show were restaged in another 100 years, what do you hope future curators and audiences will see in it?

FJ: I hope they see the importance of community and the power of a collective voice. Creating images that are both personal and political is no small feat and sharing them publicly is an act of courage. At a time when so much history, especially the voices of women and people of color, is being erased, I want this exhibition to stand as proof that humanity shone through some of our country’s darkest moments. In a world often driven by greed and indifference, may future audiences recognize that artmaking itself is a form of protest, resilience, and healing.

Interview by Allison Huang, Curation and Exhibitions Admin Intern

Griffin Museum of Photography – Winchester, Massachusetts

John Chervinsky Emerging Artist Scholarship Award | Bridget Jourgensen

Posted on July 23, 2024

The Griffin Museum of Photography is thrilled to announce the winner of the 2024 John Chervinsky Emerging Photographer Scholarship, Bridget Jourgensen. Her series Homeshadows captivated this year’s jury to earn her a monetary award, an upcoming exhibition and artist talk at the Griffin Museum as well as a volume from the collection of photographer John Chervinsky.

Over 281 photographers submitted applications to be considered for the scholarship this year. The jurors, Arlette and Gus Kayafas, Frazier King and Bruce Myren have selected Bridget Jourgensen as the 2024 recipient of the John Chervinsky Emerging Photographer Scholarship.

The exhibition of Homeshadows will be December 11, 2024 – January 5, 2025. We will announce programs and artist reception later this fall.

Homeshadows is a study of solitude. Over the course of a year and at the height of the pandemic in 2020, I found myself in a new home and very much alone on a day-to-day basis. As an introvert and sometimes anxious person, it was a bit of a dream come true. But while I wasn’t exactly lonely, I was yearning to use my time creatively and feel connected to something while the world outside raged. I began to document the light and shadows that streamed through the windows of my house. Everything in my home was new to me, and I had the pleasure of watching the seasons unfold from the inside. I sometimes put myself in the images to round out the developing narrative. I worked to capture light and manage composition with great attention to mood and detail in order to convey the sense of solitude, beauty, and mystery that I was experiencing during this period of time. Although I had been taking photographs for many years, this was my first intentional series and attempt at cohesive storytelling through images.

About Bridget Jourgensen:

My love of photography began as a young girl leafing through my mother’s Vogue magazines and feeling enthralled by the lush images within. As a pre-teen I made images of my family with a Kodak Instamatic 100, and documented the mundane details of my day-to-day life. It seemed that everything looked more glamorous printed on 4×4 squares, accompanied by strips of eerie negatives. I was hooked.

As an adult photographing a world which is increasingly complex, my lens seeks out simple, quiet subjects that are familiar yet presented in a distinctive way. Influenced by the work of Vivian Maier, Gordon Parks, and Sally Mann, I’m drawn to photographing people in the world around me. Whether that world is within my own four walls or a country I’ve never stepped foot in, my desire to observe others is the foundation for a great deal of my work. By sharing my images, I hope to spark human connections and emphasize our commonality through a moment captured in time.

About the John Chervinsky Emerging Photographer Scholarship

Photographer John Chervinsky, whose work explored the concept of time, passed away in December of 2015, following a typically resolute battle with pancreatic cancer. The modesty and unassuming character John conveyed in life belies the extent to which he is missed, not only by his family and friends, but also by the entire photographic community of which he was so proud to be a part. The John Chervinsky Emerging Photographer Scholarship was announced in June 2016 to recognize, encourage and reward photographers with the potential to create a body of work and sustain solo exhibitions. Awarded annually, the Scholarship provides recipients with a monetary award, an exhibition of their work at the Griffin Museum of Photography, and a volume from John’s personal library of photography books. The Scholarship seeks to provide a watershed moment in the professional lives of emerging photographers, providing them with the support and encouragement necessary to develop, articulate and grow their own vision for photography.

We extend our gratitude and thanks to our jurors for their work in reviewing submissions and selecting our winner, and thank you to the artists who submitted their work for consideration.

Behind the Lens: Framing History with the White House Photographers | Shealah Craighead

Posted on March 26, 2024

President-Elect Donald J. Trump gazes out of a window from the Red Room on the State Floor of the White House on Friday, Jan. 20, 2017, during an Inaugural Tea and Coffee Reception hosted by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. The traditional reception serves as a prelude to the 58th presidential ceremony held at the United States Capitol, where Mr. Trump will be sworn in as the 45th President of the United States.
Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead

In The Room Where it Happened: A Survey Of Presidential Photographers
January 12 – March 31, 2024

Our understanding of the U.S. presidency is largely shaped by images. Photographs of political campaigns, international engagements, historic legislation, and national tragedy, accompany more intimate family scenes and humanizing portraits, each contributing to the global perception of the American presidency for generations to come.

Featuring the work of the official White House photographers Shealah Craighead, Eric Draper, Michael Evans, Sharon Farmer, David Hume Kennerly, Bob McNeely, Yoichi Okamoto, Adam Schultz, Pete Souza, David Valdez and staff photographer Joyce Boghosian, this group has shaped our vision of the presidency for the last 6 decades.

Presidential photography highlights the complex nature of creativity, documentation and portraiture. Each photographers’ perspective and stories provide context for framing important moments, giving viewers a deeper understanding of the challenges and rewards of documenting the presidency, offering a comprehensive and insightful visual narrative of the U.S. presidency through the lens of these dedicated and talented photographers.

About Shealah Craighead –

For Shealah Craighead, taking a picture isn’t a point and click “moment.” It’s elbowing into North Korea to photograph a history-making handshake, diving into the gridiron to capture the game-winning catch, or observing from the background to catch the subtle smiles and sighs that convey the greatest emotions. With over two decades of experience, Craighead has built a career on turning moments in time, into tangible memories through the art of observation and photography.

Most recently, Craighead served as the Chief Official White House Photographer to the 45th President; becoming just the second woman in history to ever hold the position and the first to maintain the position for an entire presidency term. A two-time Official White House Photographer, working with the 43rd presidential administration, Craighead crafted a stealth style for documenting history as it unfolds from an observer’s perspective. In the political arena, she was honored to serve First Lady Laura Bush, multiple U.S. Presidents, as well as, many other prominent lawmakers and political candidates.

Throughout her career, Craighead has been trusted to take photos of some of the most prominent people in the world, having traveled to every state and over 80 countries. Her photos have been viewed globally, featured in major news outlets, and have made more than a few viral rounds on social media. In addition, she’s taken photos of celebrities and CEOs, athletes and activists, foreign dignitaries and divas, royal families and the families next door.

Craighead credits her passion for photography and steadfast work ethics to her parents, who owned a photo lab in their native Connecticut, as well as, to her insatiable curiosity for traveling and love of adventure. She is an alumni of the Art Institute of Boston, has a loyalty to Sony cameras, and enjoys multimedia production. Current clients include Governors of State, international disaster relief organizations, and documenting legacy events for private clients. When she’s not stealthily photographing history, Craighead can be found on long road trips, high altitude mountaineering, or globetrotting wherever adventure awaits.

Interview with Shealah Craighead, Chief White House Photographer for President Donald J. Trump –

What does it mean for you to be in conversation with so many photographers who share similar journeys in these exhibitions? Has it allowed you to see your practice under a different light?

Being in conversation with the unique group of photographers who share similar journeys as presidential photographers in this exhibition is incredibly meaningful and humbling to me. We are a small but mighty collection of photographers, who despite decades between our time in the Oval Office, share the same mission: to document history as it unfolds, as neutral observers on behalf of posterity for our nation.

From Left to Right –
*Shealah Craighead, Sharon Farmer, Robert McNeely*
*and David Hume Kennerly*

The setting of the museum exhibit provides a unique opportunity to connect with fellow colleagues and friends who understand the challenges and triumphs of working in a high-profile setting such as the White House. The conversation is a chance to showcase the evolution and growth of the White House photo office, and the role the office plays then and currently.

The time together is an opportunity to celebrate our shared passion for visual storytelling and documentary photography. It’s a humbling experience to realize that despite our unique journeys, we all face similar obstacles and joys in our work. I adore that our individual galleries of presidential images showcase a collection of images that together tell stories of decades that cannot be compared.

Thank you to the Griffin Museum for the opportunity to be heard, seen, and valued for the roles that we have played on behalf of history.

How do you approach capturing the essence of a U.S. President through your lens?

As a White House photographer, my approach revolved around capturing the President, the First Family, and the White House senior leadership in a manner that reflects their character, leadership style, and the nature of their role during the administration. This involved observing their interactions, expressions, and actions in various settings, whether during official duties or during private moments. I tried to convey not only their public persona but also the humanity and depth behind the office, sometimes choosing to document the moment through photography and other times not, depending on situational awareness and instinct.

For presidential administrations and all my clients in general, I aim to cover most situations by utilizing a style I honed earlier in my journalism career. This approach involves shooting wide, tight, and detail shots, capturing images that encompass the entire environmental space as comprehensively as possible, shooting from both high and low angles, and seeking out tools to enhance creativity. The environment serves as a photographer’s playground, offering endless possibilities for creative expression.

President Donald J. Trump participates in a press gaggle on the tarmac of Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, N.J., on Sunday, Aug. 9, 2020, before boarding Air Force One en route to Joint Base Andrews, Md.
Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead

The rule of thumb is to capture the essential shot first- bank the shot- then explore the creative angles and compositions. I photograph for myself listening to the intuitive conversation of my inner warrior and then edit with the client’s needs and preferences in mind. This approach ensures a balance between personal expression and fulfilling the objectives of the assignment.

How do you navigate the balance between capturing authentic moments and respecting the president’s privacy?

I would suggest opting for a different word than “authentic” for this question. Words like “genuine,” “organic,” or “posed” might be a better fit. Using the word “authentic” could imply that the photographer is staging or doctoring the photos in some way, or that the subjects are not genuine or legitimate in the moment. Authenticity serves as the baseline for the White House photo office. With that in mind, to address your question…

I navigate the balance between capturing moments as they unfold and respecting the President’s privacy by utilizing my experience, listening to my intuition, reading a room and trying to empathize with the subjects.

President Donald J. Trump waits backstage before being announced to take the stage for the final presidential debate against Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden at the Curb Event Center at Belmont University on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020, in Nashville, Tenn. Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead

The official photographer is a visual diarist. Throughout each day, during events and meetings, there is inevitably a balance between posed photos and candid shots. It is the photographer’s responsibility to capture all aspects of these moments. I relied on my instincts and experience to determine if and when to step back or immerse myself in the moment. If the President required space, or if I preferred not to risk interrupting the moment, I opted for a longer lens to distance myself from the immediate space. I utilized the silent mode on my [Sony] cameras and slowed down my movements to minimize disruption, aiming to be less obtrusive and eye-catching.

I always carried two camera bodies, one equipped with a longer lens (typically 70-200mm) and the second with a versatile, catch-all lens (such as a 24-270mm or a fixed prime lens depending on the environment). Additionally, I tried to empathize with the subjects, considering how I would feel in their shoes. For example, would I want a camera in my face the first moments of my day as I’m walking into my office or during an emotional moment with families of fallen soldiers? Probably not. Therefore, I chose a lens and positioning that allowed for maneuverability and distance to minimize distractions, to create the space for the most authentic moments to organically unfold.

Certain spaces, such as the private office, off the Oval Office, or the Executive Residence, are respected as private areas for the Principal. I generally assessed the situation before entering these spaces, again relying on intuition. The Residence remains private unless invited. It’s a bit of common sense, understanding how to read a room, and ultimately, respecting the President’s need for personal space. I haven’t met a shy President yet, they will tell you to back off when they need space.

Keep in mind, in my opinion, it’s not about me or anyone else; it’s about the President and history first. Sometimes, you simply have to refrain from taking a photo or step away to preserve the trust relationship between a photographer and the President. Trusting the process is essential. If history required a moment to be captured, an opportunity would have presented itself to document that moment as a tangible memory.

Can you discuss the importance of visual storytelling in conveying the president’s narrative through your photographs?

President Donald J. Trump participates on a conference call with high-ranking military officials on Friday, July 28, 2017, in the Treaty Room of the private residence at the White House. Flanking President Trump are National Security Council Adviser Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster (right), Deputy National Security Council Adviser Dina Powell (center), and Senior Director of the National Security Council Matt Pottinger (left). The call focuses on concerns regarding North Korea’s second test of an intercontinental ballistic missile within 24 days.
Official White House Photo Shealah Craighead

Visual storytelling plays a crucial role in conveying the President’s narrative through photography as a collection of images spanning the administration’s tenure. As a White House photographer, my images serve as a window into the President’s world, offering insights into their character, leadership style, and the events shaping their presidency. Together, these images capture the essence of the presidency—the challenges, triumphs, and defining moments that shape history, whether evident in real-time or as history unfolds over time.

We understand that photographs hold the power to capture fleeting moments, evoke emotions, and communicate messages beyond words alone. By composing shots, capturing candid moments, and selecting images that highlight key moments and themes, I aimed to construct a narrative that portrayed history from the perspective of a neutral observer, while also reflecting the President’s priorities, values, and achievements. I often collaborated with the communications team to gather feedback on images befitting for media releases and social media posts. These photos provided the White House with an opportunity to share its version of the story alongside those of the White House press pool of reporters and photographers.

Each photograph is protected under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and serves as a piece of a larger puzzle, contributing to the overall narrative of the administration for future generations. Whether capturing the President’s interactions with world leaders, moments of empathy with the American people, or scenes of decision-making in the Oval Office, every image released or not released to the public, helps shape public perception and understanding of the President’s presidency and administration. On a smaller scale, photographing meet-and-greets with the President and guests allows individuals to have a tangible memory of their moment in history with a President, which continues to tells the person(s) individual story.

Through my photographs, I aimed to provide a nuanced and multi-dimensional portrait of the person behind the presidency, showcasing them as both a leader and as a person, from a neutral perspective, on behalf of both my country and history.

Are there specific rituals or routines you follow when preparing for a presidential photoshoot?

Per Crista, during a previous conversation: “’Photoshoot’ may not have been the right word. The question is more like, what is a daily routine for you? How do you prepare yourself for a 14-20 hour day of shooting?”

I agree with Crista; ‘photoshoot’ doesn’t accurately capture the scene, aside from the one-time official portrait opportunity. When I hear ‘photoshoot’, I envision more of a commercial or portrait session, involving setting up lights, etc. So, I’ll approach the question from the perspective of describing the daily routine and how to prepare for the unexpected.

Supporting the daily schedule of a President and administration requires more than just one photographer; it necessitates a team. The White House photo office has grown from a small team of one or two individuals at its inception in the Kennedy administration, to 12-18 people, as was the case in the final days of both the Bush 43 and the Trump 45 administrations, speaking from my experiences.

The photo office team typically consists of two additional photographers to support the Chief Photographer’s schedule in support of the President. Two additional photographers are assigned one each to the Vice President and First Lady, with additional assistance provided, as available, to the Second Lady, and to senior staff and happenings around the White House. The team also includes multiple editors, a master printer, a photo archivist, administrative personnel, staff assistants, volunteers, and interns. Personally, I had two photographers supporting my schedule, covering the President both on campus and off-premises events, splitting the AM and PM shift. We always had a photographer in the office while the President was in the Oval Office. Once he concluded the day and went up to the Private Residence, the duty photographer was released.

It’s important to note that to do the job properly, one’s schedule is not entirely one’s own during their time in the administration. This was a known factor I anticipated going into the Trump administration, based on my experience during The Bush administration. I adjusted my schedule according to the President’s, and on days when I wasn’t photographing, I often found myself catching up on office tasks, meetings, and managerial duties. Generally, my schedule ran from 12 to 16 hours, with travel adding additional hours, resulting in days stretching to 18-20 hours. Even on days off, one remains ‘on’, remotely addressing correspondence, and always prepared for the possibility of an emergency requiring a swift return to the White House.

Navigating each day required a delicate balance of living in the moment and planning ahead where possible. I learned to adapt quickly to changes in the schedule, going with the flow and remaining flexible became essential for survival. One thing you can always count on is to expect the unexpected.

To prepare for a standard day, routine was key, and coffee was a necessity. In my personal life, I packed a lunch the night before, and laid out my suit or packed for a trip. Snacks were stashed everywhere, and I automated whatever I could, such as grocery delivery, seizing free moments as precious gifts.

In the office, the President’s schedule provided a framework for the day, and the duty photographer was always on standby to support last-minute meeting requests. The duty photographer is in constant communication with the outer oval staff for changes to the schedule. If an event required multiple photographers to cover various angles, I would coordinate the team positions accordingly to ensure comprehensive coverage. This often involved extensive logistics and coordination with other offices to collaborate with the photo office team. Additionally, a White House photographer is always present when the press is, for historical purposes.

President Donald J. Trump converses with Chief of Staff Mark Meadows on the steps of the North Portico of the White House before departing for Joint Base Andrews Air Force Base on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020. President Trump is scheduled to travel to Kenosha, Wisconsin, for a day trip.
Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead

Once you get into the battle rhythm, sometimes it’s easier to stay in the flow than to tap out for time off. It’s a tricky balance. The campus-wide staff at the White House quickly becomes a support system for each other, like a work family. One certainly sacrifices personal life to dedicate the necessary time to ensure this position successfully supports the President.

What role does collaboration play between you and other members of the presidential communication team?

Collaboration between myself, as a White House photographer, and other members of the presidential communication “comms” team was integral to effectively conveying the President’s message through visual storytelling. Together, we worked in tandem to ensure that the images released aligned with the administration’s communication objectives and messaging priorities- edit for the client. In these instances, “released” is the term used for sharing the photos with media outlets, on official White House social media sites, and on the official White House Flickr page.

After an event, meeting, or general moment, collaboration continued as the photo editor(s) and/or photographer(s) reviewed the entire take and selected a curated group of images for distribution to the comms team, who in turn chose the final images for release. All photos were coupled with metadata and a caption written in AP style format. If multiple Principals (POTUS, VP, FL, SLOTUS) were in attendance, their designated photographer and photo editor selected photos to be shared with each principal’s comms team. The comms team then selected the photos to be released, with the President’s photos taking priority. Approval processes came from within each principal’s office, and on occasion, the photos selected for release were chosen by the principal themselves.

Is there a specific image or moment that most encapsulates your vision, or that you are most proud of? Among the millions of images taken during an administration, is there one that meets your measure of success in securing the history of that moment, whether it be significant or minor?

Great question and very tough to answer with only one photo. I’ll list a couple that pop in my mind and heart.

Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead

The Handshake with Kim Jong-un: I captured the historic moment when President Trump met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea. The meeting between the two leaders symbolized a significant diplomatic effort to ease tensions between the two countries. President Trump became the first sitting U.S. President to set foot on North Korean soil. The actual event took place on Sunday, June 30, 2019. The original plan was for President Trump to step over the border line, turn, and wave to the press, then walk back with Kim Jong-un for meetings on the South Korea side. However, the scenario evolved as the President chose. Instead, the handshake was followed by both leaders walking together deeper into the North Korea side—an iconic moment forever unique to President Trump and myself as a photographer, especially as a female photographer. I made the split-second decision to run into North Korea, beyond the distance President Trump was walking, in order to capture the perspective of the leaders from an angle that could not be accessed by others. My photo shows the leaders walking firmly into the North Korea side, with South Korea behind them, sharing in a moment of jubilant emotions.

Dinner at Mount Vernon: President Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron engage in a private conversation in the New Room of George Washington’s Mansion at Mount Vernon on Monday, April 23, 2018, in Virginia. The private dinner set the stage for the White House State Dinner the following evening, marking the first State Dinner of the Trump administration. I am drawn to this image for both the historical significance of the environment and the scene setting itself. Historically, President George Washington was the last president to dine in the New Room of the Mansion prior to President Trump. The image captures a serene environment and details of the room, with soft lighting enveloping two leaders holding a private conversation. It’s a quiet moment showing both Presidents in a candid and relaxed state, amidst 48 hours of crowds, media avails, and a State Dinner. I was the only photographer to capture the moment since the press had restricted access, and my counterpart, the French official photographer, had been ushered out of the room.

Ruben Natal San Miguel | Collection Acquisition

Posted on August 9, 2023

We are thrilled to announce a new donation to the Griffin Contemporary Collection from photographer Ruben Natal-San Miguel.

From the exhibition and series Women R Beautiful we have four prints to add to the collection. This generous donation will represent a broad selection of San Miguel’s magnum opus and years long series featuring the women of New York.

Frank and honest, the women are confident, self aware and direct with their gaze into the lens. His exhibition was featured during Women’s History Month at Griffin @ Lafayette, and we are excited to showcase the diversity and breadth of the female gaze and shared experience of portraiture at its most pure.

From Left to right –

Brotherly Love (Never Dies), Jennifer (Unlock the Vixen), 3 Muslim Girls and Nykki & Ari (Valentine Twins & Morning Glories)

In a partnership with Boston Downtown Association we had a special Mother’s Day Street Portrait studio. Ruben spent 2 hours on the streets of Downtown Crossing, creating a series of the same name. This digital collection is also part of the Contemporary Collection here at the museum.

We are so grateful to Ruben for sharing his creativity and unique vision with the museum and our patrons.

About Ruben Natal San Miguel –

RUBEN NATAL-SAN MIGUEL is an architect, fine art photographer, curator, creative director and critic. His stature in the photo world has earned him awards, features in major media, countless exhibitions and collaborations with photo icons such as Magnum Photographer Susan Meiselas. Gallery shows include: Asya Geisberg, SoHo Photo, Rush Arts, Finch & Ada, Kris Graves Projects, Fuchs Projects, WhiteBox Gallery, Station Independent Projects Gallery, LMAK Gallery, Postmasters Gallery Rome & NYC and others. His work has been featured in numerous institutions: The New York Public Library, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Griffin Museum of Photography, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, African American Museum of Philadelphia, The Makeshift Museum in Los Angeles, University of Washington, El Museo del Barrio and Phillips Auction House and Aperture Foundation.

International art fair representation includes: Outsider Art Fair, SCOPE, PULSE, Art Chicago, Zona Maco, Mexico, Lima Photo, Peru and Photo LA. and Filter Photo Festival in Chicago Ill. His photography has been published in a long list of publications, highlights: New York Magazine, The New York Times, The Huffington Post, Time OUT, Aperture, Daily News, OUT, American Photo, ARTFORUM, VICE, Musee, ARTnet and The New Yorker, PBS and NPR. In 2016, Ruben’s Marcy’s Playground was selected for both the Billboard Collective and website for Apple. His photographs are in the permanent collections of El Museo Del Barrio in NYC, The Center for Photography at Woodstock, NY, The Contemporary Collection of the Mint Museum Charlotte, North Carolina, The Bronx Museum for the Arts, School of Visual Arts, NYC, The Fitchburg Museum of Art, Massachusetts, The North Carolina Museum of Art at Raleigh, NC., The Minneapolis Institute of Art, The Leslie Lohman Museum of Art, The Studio Museum of Harlem and The Museum of The City of NY, The Provincetown Art Museum, The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Museum Center at Vassar College and The Museum of Fine Arts , Boston, MA.

Brianna Dowd | Griffin State of Mind

Posted on June 10, 2023

We were thrilled to have Brianna Dowd’s series, Mother Pearl, at the Griffin Museum! Read more to hear about the process and background to the beautiful work.

Tell us a little about your background.

I have an artistic background in photography and graphic design. My journey with photography started in the digital sphere, and in my undergraduate years of college I began to work with combining 19th century processes with digital technology (ie. cyanotype, van dyke). More recently, I have moved into, especially with my thesis work, exploring creating works of collage.

What made you want to focus on this topic for your thesis?

I’ve been working in themes of identity, memory, and loss since my undergraduate years at UNC Greensboro, and developed a series about my paternal grandfather while I was there. From then I knew I wanted to have a body of work that revolved around my father’s mother as well, but was very strategic about how to approach it carefully because there was so much I didn’t know about her but still felt a close connection. I spent much time gathering photos, hearing and documenting stories, even visiting where my father grew up to aid me as I worked on what is now “Mother Pearl”. My love and appreciation for family, history, and paying homage to those who came before us was a huge inspiration in me choosing to move forward with this being my thesis work, as well as my personal experience with connecting to those who are no longer with us.

Is there anything in particular that drew you to photography originally?

I would say nothing as far as a subject drew me to photography specifically, but more so the way photography has been and can be used. I grew up with parents who were wedding photographers, and to see them interact with couples and share in so many love stories helped me learn how important photography was with capturing important moments in life. My college journey specifically gave me a deeper love for photography, as I came to see the medium more than a means to record information and events, but one that can be used as a means to tell stories, express feelings, and encourage conversation.

Has there been a piece of contemporary art that has particularly engaged or moved you?

There are so many pieces I could choose from, but I would like to salute a body of work entitled Sugar Coat, by Christina Leslie who is based in Toronto, CA. Her entire series was emotionally and visually moving, and it serves as a means of education and dialogue about the truths around the history of sugar, slavery, and the Caribbean Diaspora. Her finished photographs were produced from sugar and presented to the viewer appropriated pieces of pro-slave literature, sugar ads, etc.

ABOUT BRIANNA DOWD

Brianna Dowd is an NC based artist whose background is in fine art photography and graphic design. She is a 2017 graduate from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro obtaining a Bachelors of Fine Art degree, and is currently pursuing a Masters of Fine Art at the Savannah College of Art & Design.

Brianna is also the founder and CEO of Butterfly Visuals, LLC, a media company providing quality service to creative and goal oriented individuals in the areas of photography, graphic design, website design, promotional design, branding materials, social media content, and more.

Rohina Hoffman | Griffin State of Mind

Posted on May 19, 2023

Our shared and common humanity is assumed but not always evident. Making work inspired from my own personal experiences, I look for ways to further and deepen our thoughts on this connection.

In Embrace, Los Angeles based photographer Rohina Hoffman reflects on the theme of uncertainty while combining two of her photographic projects. In Gratitude, made during the pandemic, is a typology of portraits celebrating food and family and how we find comfort in times of unease. Generation 1.75 is a visual memoir of identity, belonging, and the complexities of acculturation.

Embrace will be on display at the Griffin until May 28, 2023.

Tell us a little about your background.

I grew up in a family of doctors spanning three generations. I also became a doctor, specifically a neurologist. Despite our emphasis on science, everyone in my family also had artistic pursuits. Since high school,I have always been involved with photography and decided about ten years ago to focus on it.

Can you explain the thought behind your show, and why it is presented in the way it is?

I wanted the show to be a sensory engaging experience. There are the photographs of course, but there is also text (both prose and poetry), scent, in the form of a reed diffuser, and my book, Embrace, to hold and touch and skim through.

What feeling do you hope to leave your viewers with when surrounded by your work?

Walking into the Griffin Gallery, I want viewers to be wholly embraced by the art and to feel alive. I hope they that they feel and connect with the photographs and text elements, and walk out of the gallery with a softer more hopeful heart.

What is a literary, musical or visual obsession you have at the moment?

I am currently obsessed with Maira Kalman and her books (most recent being “Women Holding Things”.) Her combination of witty text and bold colorful images, her simple playful approach about the human condition is at once personal and universal. I can read them over and over again.

ABOUT ROHINA HOFFMAN:

Rohina is a fine art photographer whose practice uses portraiture and the natural world to investigate themes of identity, home, adolescence and the female experience.

Born in India and raised in New Jersey, Rohina grew up in a family of doctors spanning three generations. While an undergraduate at Brown University, Rohina also studied photography at the Rhode Island School of Design and she was a staff photographer for the Brown Daily Herald. A graduate of Brown University Medical School and resident at UCLA Medical Center, her training led to a career as a neurologist.

A skilled observer of her patients, Rohina was instilled with a deep and unique appreciation of the human experience. Her ability to forge the sacred trust between doctor and patient has been instrumental in fostering a parallel connection between photographer and subject.

Rohina published her first monograph Hair Stories with Damiani Editore (February 2019) accompanied by a solo exhibition at Brown University’s Alpert Medical School. Her monograph, Hair Stories, is held in many notable public collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Getty, Cleveland Institute of Art, and over twenty-five university libraries.

Her second monograph, Embrace, with Schilt Publishing was just released October 2022 (Europe) and January 2023 (U.S.).

In 2021, she was the winner of the Altanta Photography Group’s Purchase Award and several of her prints were acquired by the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia.

Her photographs have been exhibited in juried group shows both nationally and internationally in venues such as The Center for Fine Art Photography, Griffin Museum, Colorado Photographic Arts Center, Los Angeles Center for Photography, Photo LA, and A. Smith Gallery. She has received numerous awards and has been published in Marie Claire Italia, F-Stop Magazine, The Daily Beast, Lenscratch, Shots Magazine, and Edge of Humanity among others. She lives with her husband, three children and two golden retrievers in Los Angeles.

Ruben Natal-San Miguel | Griffin State of Mind

Posted on May 5, 2023

The Griffin Museum is excited to bring Ruben Natal-San Miguel to Lafayette City Center to celebrate his magnum opus, Women R Beautiful.

How might you define this work to a young child or to someone unfamiliar with your work? What are its core components?

The Women R Beautiful series was created from the starting point of me being only 4 years old and seen how my grandfather treated my mother . She was nt allowed to look directly at him while speaking to him. That disturbing memory will never leave my mind. The series are pretty self explanatory. It’ s a celebration of women from all walks of life and children are portrayed interacting with their mothers so, it is pretty self explanatory .

When thinking about your work, what drew you to the Griffin Museum?

The idea of this body of work was to travel to different locations and expand it content while at it. I had photographed women from the Massachusetts areas ( East Boston, Revere, Fitchburg, Provincetown , South Boston , Roxbury and Boston ) so wanted to show New England the variety of diversity of women from all walks of life from other areas outside MA. As you know, New England still it is not as diverse as other parts of America.

How has your relationship with your Mother impacted on your personal style and choices in this work?
I had a rare relationship with my mother. I loved her but, was never her favorite. I was just different and most times she did not knew what to do with me and handle me. I obviously loved her but, she never accepted me for who I am today so, was at times contentious. I did listed to her more then any of my siblings and this body of work was created to celebrate her life and her struggles. My mother was part of what I called ‘’ The Gary Winogrand Generation ‘ on high most women were told what to do, were objectified , could not even vote and their place to be was at home in the kitchen and tending to their families. I thought the Gary Winogransd series which were celebrated 52 years ago were limiting when it came to women representation, women were objectified ( the mentality at the time ) and wanted to give women a newer , fresher andplified voice and presence.

Color is a major part of this work and I’m curious as to how, in your eyes, it reflects or amplifies the meaning of this work?
There is color in most marginalized areas of most cities. Bodegas, murals and most areas have a great intensity of color all over in most building surfaces. I do not stage my work! I find my subjects by walking where no one usually goes to , find the subjects and make an environment portrait of it. It is all about the subject being comfortable and not confronted . The result are very intense and direct portraits where get to capture their true essence.

Lastly, What initially drew you to photographing people candidly on the street and out in public?
I am a September 11, 2001 survivor. I was at the North Tower that fateful day working as a financial controller in Wall Street. . After many months of complete human detachment, moved to Harlem and decided to start photographing based on the very rich street culture that witnessed every day on my way home . It helped me a lot to make and establish connections with total strangers . We could tell each other things that we cannot tell even our closest friends. We developed a quick bond based on humanity. I am a self taught photographer . There is no school in the world that can teach you what I do. It comes from something deeper than soul.

ABOUT RUBEN NATAL-SAN MIGUEL

JP Terlizzi | Griffin State of Mind

Posted on April 14, 2023

JP Terlizzi is a part of our show, Ties That Bind, on show now at the Griffin until April 16th.

Ties that Bind stitches together three unique visions looking at the idea of family and the rewriting of history, myth and personal narratives. These artists work with images and objects, including various materials, with the addition of stitching on found images, personal family photos. Each artist finds ways to change the script, rewrite what has been lost and gain clarity of vision.

Tell us a little about yourself and your background.

I come from a graphic design and advertising background. I work full-time as the Executive Creative Director for a retail design agency in NYC and have been creating designs in the retail sector for close to 40 years. I’m responsible for helping brands and retailers articulate their products and services, and how that visually gets communicated to consumers at retail. I came to photography much later in life, it was another outlet to express myself creatively without having to answer to clients. It allows me the freedom to explore subjects that interest me and create things on my own terms and timelines.

Tell a little about your work in the new exhibition, “Ties That Bind.”

I come from a very large and loving extended Italian family. I’ve been thinking a lot about family history and the legacies that are left behind as I age, and how much of my own family history has been lost due to family members that I have passed. Their memories and stories of family are now also gone. I wanted to create a series around objects. Objects that focus on the relationship between the family archive and personal memory that I someday could pass down to the younger generations as my legacy.

What led to your decision to use mixed media photography as a means to explore connections between past and present?

I’ve been curious and wanted to explore assemblages for a while. It seemed like a natural progression in my practice. I took a workshop in Oct. of 2021 with Dawn Surratt and really embraced the assemblage world. It was a way for me to use the photograph as a starting point and dive much deeper with the use of objects to tell more of a personal story with layers and create these one-of-a-kind pieces around each family member.

Finally, What is a literary, musical or visual obsession you have at the moment?

I’ve been visually obsessing with patterns for the past several months, specifically wallpapers. I am currently in the process of making some new work to add to the series The Good Dishes. The new work is much more colorful and elaborate with over-the-top patterns. I have been obsessing how I can make it all look visually chaotic but balance the beauty and elegance that The Good Dishes are known for.

ABOUT JP TERLIZZI

JP Terlizzi is a New York City photographer whose contemporary practice explores themes of memory, relationship, and identity. His images are rooted in the personal and heavily influenced around the notion of home, legacy, and family. He is curious how the past relates and intersects with the present and how the present enlivens the past, shaping one’s identity.

Born and raised in the farmlands of Central New Jersey, JP earned a BFA in Communication Design at Kutztown University of PA with a background in graphic design and advertising. He has studied photography at both the International Center of Photography in New York and Maine Media College in Rockport, ME.

JP’s work has been exhibited widely in galleries including shows at The Center for Fine Art Photography, Vicki Myhren Gallery at the University of Denver, The Grin Museum, Tilt Gallery, Panopticon Gallery, Candela Gallery, The Los Angeles Center of Photography, University Gallery at Cal Poly, and The Berlin Foto Biennale, Berlin, Germany, among others.

His solo exhibits include shows at Foto Relevance Gallery (August, 2020) The Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts, Cameraworks Gallery in Portland, OR and Soho Photo Gallery in Manhattan.