Eugene Tapahe Art Heals: The Jingle Dress Project Exhibit Extended

 

Drawing thousands of attendees and counting, the important exhibition by artist Eugene Tapahe titled Art Heals: The Jingle Dress Project has been extended through September 28, 2025. 

Word of mouth and the recent article in Pasatiempo: Standing On Ceremony. has sparked tremendous enthusiasm, with many guests making repeated visits and an overwhelming number of requests to extend the exhibit for school groups and those who have not yet seen the exhibit.

The public response to the exhibition has been overwhelming, with viewers visibly moved by the powerful photographs that have raised awareness of many Native American issues, such as land acknowledgment, women’s rights, and, most importantly, the epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW). 

View the exhibit on-line here.

Read the article in Hot Mirror: "Eugene Tapahe's photographs from his Art Heals project commanded attention—not merely for their striking colors juxtaposed against nature's beauty, but for the profound story they tell."




 

Eugene Tapahe: Standing On Ceremony

Via Pasatiempo

By Brian Sanford

August 15, 2025

 

When Eugene Tapahe (Diné) photographed his daughters and two of their friends posing while wearing Ojibwe jingle dresses at Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, the purpose was to provide healing during a tumultuous time, not to create art.

It was June 2020, and the world was reeling from the new realities of the pandemic’s social distancing, widespread masking, and living with the pre-vaccine terror that a friendly interpersonal encounter could be deadly. An aunt of Tapahe’s died from COVID-19; amid that emotional trauma, he dreamed he was sitting in a grass field at Yellowstone National Park, gazing at a herd of bison on the horizon. He detected a distinctive sound, then realized it was coming from jingle dress dancers who’d begun dancing with the bison. A sensation rose within Tapahe that most people don’t associate with 2020: hope.

The healing Ojibwe jingle dress dance is thought to have originated during the 1918 influenza pandemic, so its powers resonated especially strong during a remarkably similar calamity about a century later. What began with a 150-mile drive from the Tapahe family’s Provo, Utah, home to the salt flats grew into a nationwide healing journey to national parks and even New York City. Some of the results of that ongoing voyage are featured in Art Heals: The Jingle Dress Project, an exhibition at Monroe Gallery of Photography coinciding with Santa Fe Indian Market, where Tapahe is also bringing his work.

Tapahe traveled with his wife, Sharon; twentysomething daughters Erin and Dion; and the daughters’ friends Sunni and JoAnni Begay. The latter four posed in the vibrantly colored dresses while wearing matching red face masks, their arms raised in unity, at Monument Valley for Solidarity, Sisterhood; on a rock with their backs to the Pacific Ocean on the Oregon coast in Warrior Women; and at the base of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., for Forever Enshrined. Some of the images are black-and-white, while others feature only three of the women.

Strength and Dignity, La Push Beach, La Push, Washington,

Tapahe, a native of Window Rock, Arizona, who holds a Master of Fine Art degree in studio art from Brigham Young University in Provo, recently chatted with Pasatiempo about the spookiness of traversing what amounted to a ghost nation in 2020, combating cultural ignorance, and the pandemic’s effects on both his psyche and his bottom line. His answers have been edited for length and clarity.

Do you always have such vivid, memorable dreams?

Many artists do sketches or preliminary work, but I conceptualize a lot of my works before I start doing art. I think it was a unique situation in that, even when I woke from the dream, it was still resonating with me. It really touched me and affected me to the point where I gave it life by sharing it with my wife and my daughters. The idea [at first] wasn’t to take it to the world; I just wanted to do one dance in a sacred place, to make the dream true.

But when we went out to the Bonneville Salt Flats — which is close to us — and the girls danced, that changed our whole perspective. We were the only people on the land, and there wasn’t a dry eye the whole time. The girls said they knew they weren’t dancing alone; they could feel the spirits of the ancestors of that land dancing with them spiritually. When the dance was over, Dion said, “Dad, we’ve got to take this to the land. We can’t just do it one time.” I said, “In my dream, I was at Yellowstone National Park, so let’s go to national and state parks.” Because those lands were colonized first — taken from the Native people — if we heal those lands and ancestors, they will come and help us heal during COVID.

You mention healing, and people suffered in numerous ways during the pandemic. How were you affected?

My family and I couldn’t go home to help our people and family, so it was difficult to see from afar the pain and death. Because of this, we felt it was important to go on this healing journey so that we could bring healing and unity through art.

Had you already visited all of the places featured in Art Heals: The Jingle Dress Project?

At some points, it was the first time we’d ever been there. In many places, it was really tough because we didn’t spend weeks there; I knew as a landscape photographer that early mornings and late evenings were the best times to take photos and for the girls to perform the jingle dress dance, since the natural light would be better. During the days, we traveled and the girls did their homework, because at the time everything was online.

This project began in 2020; what years does it cover?

It started in June 2020 and continues to this day. We are being invited to universities and colleges to speak and serve on panels. This has given us a great platform to [bring attention to] not just the project, but also to address Native issues, such as missing and murdered Indigenous women, Native rights, Native lands, and land acknowledgement.

Photographer Eugene Tapahe’s ongoing Art Heals: The Jingle Dress Project at Monroe Gallery features images taken of his daughters and their friends at state and national parks during the pandemic. The images include Forever Enshrined, Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC (2021, above). 

Courtesy Monroe Gallery of Photography

How did Sunni and JoAnni get involved?

They’re good friends with Erin and Dion. We’re all Navajo, and during COVID, the Navajo Nation shut down and closed their borders, so we couldn’t go home to help or be with our family members. They were already in quarantine here in Utah with our family, and that’s how we managed to do what we did.

The world had largely shut down.

We kept to ourselves; all restaurant dining areas were closed, so we either packed our own food or ordered takeout. We only entered public spaces to get gas and use the restrooms, but we remained very cautious because none of us wanted to get sick. At that time, there were no vaccinations available. When we visited Yosemite National Park, the six of us and two rangers were the only people there. It was a deeply spiritual moment — yet also surreal and eerie. It was late June, and the rangers told us that normally, they wouldn’t have any available camping spots, and the park would usually be filled with thousands of visitors.

How did you get into the park?

At Yosemite National Park, the rangers happened to be Natives [Miwok] from that land, and they already knew who we were. So, when we reached the guard gate, they understood that our purpose was spiritual and healing, and they allowed us to enter. The girls danced at the Indian village, and afterward, the rangers wanted to give them a gift. They shared their popsicles, which were so refreshing on that hot day in June.

Did you have issues accessing other locations?

The only place we thought we might have trouble was Yosemite National Park, because there are only a couple of entrances, but we were fortunate that the rangers there knew what we were doing and understood our purpose. Most of the other parks didn’t have anyone at the entrances because of COVID.

One of your images features the since-closed Nicholas Galanin exhibition Never Forget, consisting of 45-foot letters spelling out “Indian Land” in Palm Springs, California, which was featured in Galanin’s SITE Santa Fe exhibition Interference Patterns. Did Galanin (Tlingit-Unangax) know about your visit?

The organization, Desert X, has a biennial art installation in Palm Springs. We wanted to go there to dance and do a photo session. I reached out to them to let them know we would be coming. They responded on the day of our trip and said they were working on getting Nicholas to fly out the next day to meet us. They also managed to get Congressman Raul Ruiz from Palm Springs to come, and we had an impromptu get-together with Galanin. The ceremony opened with a local Native community performance featuring a traditional Cahuilla bird song by John Preckwinkle III. It was a spiritual moment.

How much do the dresses weigh?

Between 8 and 12 pounds.

Nizhoni (Beautiful), Monument Valley, Arizona, 20200

You encountered ignorance about Native people during your travels. That likely wouldn’t happen in New Mexico; where did it occur?

Mostly in urban areas; it occurred a few times on the East Coast. When we talked at universities, some people said, “I didn’t know that Native Americans still existed,” or, “Do you still live in teepees?” That’s still out there. It’s still common.

That sounds infuriating. How did you respond?

Our project is both healing and educational. When I was younger, I would have gotten angry, but now I realize they’re not saying it out of racism. Especially on the East Coast, that’s all they learned. In high school, the textbooks focused on Plains Indians, and they learned that Native Americans all lived in teepees, rode horses, lost battles, and were eventually wiped out.

It sounds like this show would be even more educational if it were featured in other areas of the U.S. Do you know if it will become a traveling exhibition?

I really don’t, but that’s exactly why I documented the project: the educational purpose behind it is important. It needs to be shared; it’s healing for everyone.

What are you showing at Indian Market this year?

A few images from [Art Heals: The Jingle Dress Project] will be in my booth, as well as landscapes and a lot of wildlife photography.

You’ve mentioned that the number 4 is considered sacred in Navajo culture. How did it manifest in this project?

We have four girls who represent the four worlds; in Navajo culture, we believe we’re in the fourth world. In the Four Worlds photo, there are four peaks on the Teton National Park mountains. During our photo session, the girls were facing me, and my daughter Dion set up the shot and poses. It turned out that they were almost in the same spots as the peaks on the mountains behind them. When we were ready to start printing the photos, that’s when we all saw it. It’s incredible how this project brought so much healing to us and to those who can see the images now. Art truly heals. 

details

The Jingle Dress Project

Through September 14

Monroe Gallery of Photography

112 Don Gaspar Avenue

505-992-0800; monroegallery.com

Arthur Rothstein: New Deal America at Kingsborough Art Museum

Via The Brooklyn Rail

May 13, 2025

By Farren Fei Yuan

 In 1935, Arthur Rothstein, freshly graduated from Columbia University, was recruited by his former professor in economics, Roy Stryker, to join the photography unit of the Historical Section, later part of the Farmer Security Administration (FSA) under the New Deal. The Historical Section’s role was to document—and create a history for—the FSA’s work. Faced with the prolonged economic depression, Rothstein quickly took up the offer, not knowing that he would soon author some of the most reproduced images of his time.

This is where New Deal America: Photographs by Arthur Rothstein, on view at Kingsborough Art Museum, begins. Bookended by one of Rothstein’s earliest and most famous “Dust Bowl” pictures (Heavy Black Clouds of Dust Rising over the Texas Panhandle, Texas [1936]) and a deceptively serene scene taken as the U.S. fully entered World War II (Saturday Afternoon in a Prosperous TVA town [1942]), the exhibition surveys what is arguably the most successful period in Rothstein’s career—travelling across the United States on assignment, he photographed rural and suburban communities affected by the Great Depression and the FSA’s efforts toward rehabilitation and resettlement.

Arthur Rothstein, Heavy Black Clouds of Dust Rising over the Texas Panhandle, 1936

The forty-two black-and-white photographs on view have been selected from the Library of Congress collection by the curators, Dr. Ann Rothstein Segan, who is Rothstein’s daughter, and her partner, Brodie Hefner. Presented in chronological sections, the display illustrates a “narrative of recovery and renewal,” as the gallery director Dr. Brian E. Hack writes, one that provokes timely reflection on the role and nature of the federal government. Yet what remains unsaid, though implicit, in the emphatic accumulation of photographic encounters—cemented by the occasional meeting of gazes between the photographer, his subjects, and the viewer—are the questions the exhibition raises about different conceptions of the documentary and the social responsibility of art.    Click for full article

The 2025 Photography Show In Review

 

The Art Newspaper

Monroe Gallery's presentation in the news:

Hyperallergic: Indigenous Humor and Resistance Shines at The Photography Show

The Guardian: Keith Haring, Kanagawa and Georgia O’Keeffe: highlights from NYC’s Photography Show – in pictures

Cottages and Gardens: Inside the 2025 AIPAD Show

Collector Daily: There is a contagious playfulness is this 1951 fashion shoot captured by Tony Vaccaro. What’s not to love about the pitcher of water poured over the umbrella to create rain, with the city skyline in the background? If there is actual fun to be found in the images on view at a photo fair, this is what it looks like

Eugene Tapahe

Collector Daily: There is a contagious playfulness is this 1951 fashion shoot captured by Tony Vaccaro. What’s not to love about the pitcher of water poured over the umbrella to create rain, with the city skyline in the background? If there is actual fun to be found in the images on view at a photo fair, this is what it looks like

Tony Vaccaro: The Umbrella LOOK magazine, NYC 1951

Tony Vaccaro's iconic photograph of Peggy Guggenheim on a 75-foot banner outside the fair at The Park Avenue Armory

Screenshot of Tony Vaccaro's photograph of Georgia O'Keeffe holding Swiss cheese to her eye from The Gurdian news feature

See the Monroe Gallery exhibit here.

A view of the Monroe Gallery booth

Eugene Tapahe: Between the Worlds

Via Utah Policy

November 6, 2024 

Celebrated Native American art exhibit comes to UVU’s Museum of Art at Lakemount

In celebration of Native American Heritage Month, the Utah Valley University Museum of Art at Lakemount is pleased to present an art exhibition by Diné (Navajo) artist Eugene Tapahe. “Eugene Tapahe: Between the Worlds” opens with a reception on Tuesday, November 12, from 5-7:30 pm. The exhibition will remain on view through February 15, 2025.

“Eugene Tapahe: Between the Worlds” explores multiple meanings, connecting the contemporary world with tradition while highlighting the relationship between people and the land. Curated by Katherine Jackson, professor of art history at UVU, the exhibition includes a combination of Tapahe’s installations, photography, and performance, engaging people and places while mapping monuments as sacred sites throughout the modern world.

“I draw inspiration from my Diné (Navajo) traditions and modern experiences. My work reflects the fragility and resilience of Native American culture. I strive to unite these two worlds in my concepts while transcending worldly uncertainties. Through various visual mediums, I intend to celebrate and honor the identity and culture of Native Americans. Ultimately, the persona of my work offers unity, hope, and healing,” said Tapahe.

Tapahe is Diné (Navajo) and originally from Window Rock, Arizona. He received his MFA in studio art from Brigham Young University. Tapahe has exhibited his work in prestigious shows at the Santa Fe Indian Market, the Heard Museum Indian Fair & Market, the Cherokee Art Market, and the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. He has received awards for his photography from the Cherokee Art Market (2018) and the Museum of Northern Arizona (2019), and he was honored with two International Awards of Excellence from “Communication Arts” magazine.

Tapahe’s work is in the permanent collections of numerous museums, including the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, the Birmingham Museum of Art, the Arizona State Museum, the Minnesota History Center, the College of Wooster Art Museum, the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art at Utah State University, and more.

His art is represented by the Modern West gallery in Salt Lake City, Utah; Monroe Gallery of Photography in Santa Fe, New Mexico; Rainmaker Gallery in Bristol, England; and Four Winds Gallery in Sydney, Australia. Tapahe resides in Provo, Utah, with his wife, Sharon, and their two daughters, Erin and Dion.

“Eugene Tapahe: Between the Worlds” is one of several concurrent exhibitions at the UVU Museum of Art at Lakemount. The annual Faculty Art Exhibition highlighting the work of 41 artists teaching at UVU is on view in the upstairs galleries through November 20, in addition to several exhibits of artwork from the museum’s permanent collection.

At Utah Valley University, we believe everyone deserves the transforming benefits of high-quality education — and it needs to be affordable, accessible, and flexible. With opportunities to earn everything from certificates to master’s degrees, our students succeed by gaining real-world experience and developing career-ready skills. We continue to invite people to come as they are — and leave ready and prepared to make a difference in the world.

For more information, visit UVU’s Newsroom website for fact sheets, maps, leadership bios, history, photos, b-roll, filming policies, and a list of interview-ready faculty experts at https://www.uvu.edu/newsroom/# or scan this QR code.

John Olsen's "Women's March" Photo Featured In NY Times Magazine Essay

 Via The New York Times

November 2, 2024

 John Olson/The LIFE Picture Collection: A 1970 march in New York City on the 50th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, August 26, 1970

How Will White Women Vote? It’s a Question With a Fraught History.

White and Black women have joined together to power progressive causes — from abolition to civil rights — but it’s a tenuous alliance. --Click for full article

This photograph is featured in the current Monroe Gallery exhibition "The Best of Us".

"As A.I. Becomes Harder to Detect, Photography Is Having a Renaissance"

 Via The New York Times

October 25, 2024

"After at least a decade of focusing almost exclusively on painting, many of the largest and most powerful art dealers are dedicating significant attention and real estate to photography.

It is part of a broader renaissance for the medium that is arriving, perhaps counterintuitively, just as images produced by artificial intelligence become virtually indistinguishable from real documentation."

Click for full article

New Exhibition: The Best Of Us

 Santa Fe, NM

October 2, 2024

“The Best Of Us" is an exhibition of compelling and provocative photographs depicting the ideals and diversity of the human experience which explore the characterization of extraordinary and everyday people who renew our faith that all things are possible and exemplify our ideals.

The phrase “the best of us” is often used idiomatically to refer to brave, courageous, selfless, and audacious people that celebrate the human spirit of drive and determination to make a difference.

“Be certain that you do not die without having done something wonderful for humanity.”

— Maya Angelou

View the exhibition on-line here.

AIPAD Announces Dates of New York Photography Show for 2025

 Via AIPAD

The Association of International Photography Art Dealers (AIPAD) has announced its dates for next year's show, which will be returning to the Park Avenue Armory once again after this year's successful venture at this location.

The fair will be opening on Wednesday afternoon, April 23rd, and closing on Sunday evening, April 27th, 2025.

Visit Monroe Gallery of Photography's exhibit at the 2024 edition here.

THE PHOTOGRAPHY OF TONY VACCARO

 Via Kevin Sessums Sums It Up

July 6, 2024

"I first discovered the extraordinary photographs of Tony Vaccaro a few years ago - and met the man himself - when I was in Santa Fe and Ali MacGraw, one of his subjects, took me to an exhibition of his work at the Monroe Gallery of Photography. I was both impressed by his fashion and celebrity photographs and moved by his WWII ones. I think he was unique in his bestriding both worlds with such grit and grace. There was a kind of wry bemusement to the fashion and celebrity ones but a wrenching intimacy to the war work. Last night the latest show of his photography opened at the Monroe Galley. I felt Tony’s presence in my conversation with his ten-year-old grandson Luke who was there with his family. The show runs until September 15th. If you are in Santa Fe, don’t miss it."

 --more here

Tony Vaccaro American Icons Exhibition Program: In Conversation with Agapita Judy Lopez on Georgia O’Keeffe

 Via Taliesin West

IN CONVERSATION – Agapita Judy Lopez on Georgia O’Keeffe
March 7, 2024

American Icons: Frank Lloyd Wright and Georgia O’Keeffe explores the similarities and differences between two American masters, born in Wisconsin, who found homes in the Desert Southwest, as captured through the lens of photographer Tony Vaccaro. Join us as Agapita “Pita” Judy Lopez discusses her time as working at Georgia O’Keeffe’s home Abiquiú as O’Keeffe’s secretary and companion, and her close relationship with Ms. O’Keeffe.

*Please note that this program grants guests access only to the program location. To see more of our property, please consider adding a tour to your program.

Time:
6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Cabaret Theatre

Price:
Adults $35
Students (13-25 with student ID) $24
Members $31.50

Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Members receive discounts on Cultural Programs, have access to special Member-Only programs, and more. Learn about Membership here.

Tickets here

Meet Our Presenter

Agapita “Pita” Lopez began working with American artist Georgia O’Keeffe in 1974, and became her personal secretary in 1978 until her death on March 6, 1986. A third generation employee, her grandfather and mother also worked for O’Keeffe as has her maternal grandmother, father, brothers, and sister. In 1986, Pita continued working with the O’Keeffe Estate, and then The Georgia O’Keeffe Foundation as Secretary. She served as the Foundation’s Executive Director from 1999 to 2006. Currently, Projects Director of the O’Keeffe properties at Abiquiu and Ghost Ranch, she oversees the maintenance and preservation of both houses and the seasonal tours offered at the Abiquiu home and studio. She co-authored a book on the houses with Barbara Buhler Lynes, Curator of the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum released by Abrams in the fall of 2012. With her brother, Belarmino Lopez, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the New Mexico Historic Preservation Division.

Tony Vaccaro exhibit "American Icons" in The NY Times 36 Hours in Phoenix

 Via The New York Times

February 15, 2024

36 Hours in Phoenix

To delve deeper into Wright’s local legacy, drive about half an hour into the Scottsdale desert to Taliesin West, his secluded, light-filled winter home and workspace set on almost 500 acres in the foothills of the McDowell Mountains. Snoop around his desk, where casually strewn are his 1956 blueprints for the first floor of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in that unmistakable nautilus spiral. Also see the onsite “American Icons” exhibition (through June 3) — a look at the parallel and intersecting lives of Wright and the artist Georgia O’Keeffe, who were born 60 miles apart, met once, corresponded for years, and were chronicled separately by the same photographer (Tony Vaccaro). Book an hourlong self-guided audio tour, from $39, (first start time, 11:20 a.m). There are also 90-minute guided tours, from $49 (first start time, 10:40 a.m.).

Ways of Seeing: Four Photographic Collections

 Via The New Mexico Museum of Art

January 18, 2024

Art collectors are often said to have “a good eye” for pictures, but what does that really mean? This selection of photographs from three collections recently donated to the museum and one promised gift illustrates a variety of approaches to choosing works of art and assembling a collection. United by a passion for photography, each collector brings a distinctive sensibility to the undertaking. Artist Jamie Brunson and her former husband Mark Levy gravitated to large color photographs of the 1990s that reflect their interest in social justice and meditation. Photographer and photo dealer Don Moritz amassed a large collection of that included a group of prints by David Michael Kennedy. New Yorker W.M. Hunt was attracted to images of people whose eyes are not readily visible and searched internationally for decades to build a unique holding on that theme. Santa Fe collectors Caroline Burnett and her late husband William chose images that moved them deeply, ultimately creating a collection largely of modernist photographs from the mid-twentieth century. On view will be suites of work from each collector, including photographs by Ruth Bernhard, Edward Burtynsky, Harry Callahan, Adam Fuss, David Michael Kennedy, Minor White, and more.

Opening Saturday, January 20

At the 1917 Plaza Building 

New Mexico Museum of Art

(505) 476-5072
Plaza: 107 West Palace

Santa Fe, NM

 nmartmuseum.org

Related article in the Santa Fe New Mexican Pasatiempo: Photography in NMMoA's new exhibit reflects the eye of the beholder

Santa Fe New Mexican's Pasatiempo: Monroe Gallery of Photography’s This Fragile Earth

 Via Pasatiempo

December 29, 2023

By Brian Sanford

Ed Kashi

A worker subcontracted by Shell Oil Company cleans up an oil spill from a well owned by Shell that had been left abandoned for over 25 years, 2004

PHOTOGRAPHY

Documenting damage

In one of the more disturbing images in Monroe Gallery of Photography’s This Fragile Earth, a subcontractor for Shell Oil Company takes a break from cleaning up an oil spill at an abandoned well owned by Shell, holding out his hand. At first glance, it appears to be covered in human blood. Further examination reveals it’s actually covered in Earth’s blood: oil. The untitled image was captured by photographer Ed Kashi in 2004.

Equally troubling, but perhaps more resonant to New Mexicans, is Aftermath of Calf Creek/Hermits Peak Wildfire, taken near Mora in 2022 by Santa Fe New Mexican photographer Gabriela Campos. It features a panoramic view of the charred landscape left by the most damaging wildfire in the state’s history.

This Fragile Earth, which runs through January 21, juxtaposes images showing human-caused environmental devastation and the effects of climate change with others that highlight nature’s magnificence. Among the latter are Taos Gorge, taken by Henry Monroe in 2018, and an untitled image showing a giraffe beneath flying storks at Shaba Game Reserve in Kenya, taken by Bill Eppridge in 1978.

The exhibition’s goal is to motivate awareness and change, say gallery owners Michelle and Sid Monroe. It’s supplemented by a virtual exhibition, Stephen Wilkes: This Fragile Earth, Day to Night, showing that photographer’s images of nature’s splendor. Wilkes, of Connecticut, used a technique in the pieces that captures the passage of time from day to night.

Many of Wilkes’ images show details of locations relatively few humans have visited: Churchill, Manitoba, near Hudson Bay; Ilulissat, Greenland; and Chilko Lake, British Columbia. While humans are only visible in one of the images, others feature caribou, wood bison, polar and grizzly bears, zebras, and elephants. Wilkes gave a talk about the images, as well as his documentation of the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, at the gallery on November 30. View it at monroegallery.com.  — Brian Sandford

Creating Culture: An Architect, An Artist

 Via Front Doors

October 25, 2023

Images courtesy of Tony Vaccaro Studios/The Monroe Gallery of Photography

Georgia O’Keeffe once wrote, “Nobody sees a flower — really — it is so small it takes time — we haven’t time — and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time.” Through the lens of O’Keeffe’s life, this notion is evident when considering her nearly three-decades-long friendship with Frank Lloyd Wright.

The two are champions in their field — O’Keeffe’s paintings earned her the title of “Mother of American Modernism,” and Wright is still one of the most celebrated architects in the world — yet, beneath the surface of their achievements lay similarities that run deeper than their success.

Taliesin West’s newest photography exhibition, “American Icons: Wright & O’Keeffe,” explores the pair in a way that’s never been seen before. Running from Oct. 20 through June 3, the exhibit features portraits of the two shot by Tony Vaccaro for “Life Magazine.” The exhibition explores the similarities between Wright and O’Keeffe not just as artists, but as people — and friends.

“They are people that we look very closely at, not just at the artwork they made, but their life,” said Niki Stewart, Taliesin West’s vice president and chief learning and engagement officer. “We as the public don’t always do that with every artist. We sometimes really just focus on their art, but there is a public fascination with both of these figures.”

Both born in rural Wisconsin, Wright and O’Keeffe were drawn to the American Southwest. Wright sought refuge in Arizona during winters, while O’Keeffe found her artistic sanctuary in the heart of New Mexico. The pair were fans of each other’s work, and as Stewart notes, “It’s no overstatement to call them friends.”

One of many similarities was that nature inspired much of their work. O’Keeffe famously painted flowers, landscapes and animal skulls, drawing inspiration from the environment around her. Wright had the same respect for nature, once stating, “No house should ever be on a hill or on anything. It should be of the hill. Belonging to it. Hill and house should live together, each the happier for the other.”

From the 1930s until Wright’s death in 1959, the pair wrote back and forth, sent books, pamphlets and artwork, and shared ideas with each other. Notably, they only met in person once in 1942 at Taliesin, Wright’s Wisconsin home.

“I feel like that’s a story that people can really relate to today with technology,” said Stewart. “We get so close to people who don’t live where we live. We use instant messaging, FaceTime and all these other tools to get close to folks, some of whom we’ve never met.”

In 2021, Taliesin West hosted an exhibit called “Chihuly in the Desert.” The exhibit paired works of glass artist Dale Chihuly with Wright’s architecture. Following the exhibition’s success, Taliesin West knew they wanted to pair Wright’s work with another artist, this time on a smaller, more intimate scale.

While looking for photos of Wright, Stewart discovered that Tony Vaccaro had photographed Wright and O’Keeffe for “Life Magazine” years apart, and that’s when the exhibit came to life.

Michael A. “Tony” Vaccaro rose to popularity through photos he took while fighting on the front lines of World War II. Vaccaro’s post-military career focused on fashion and celebrity photography for various magazines. Vaccaro would go on to photograph Wright and O’Keeffe, among other celebrities like Sophia Loren, John F. Kennedy and Eartha Kitt. He passed away in 2022, eight days after his 100th birthday.

“After the war, he came home to the United States and started working for magazines like ‘Look’ and ‘Life’ and other magazines that were celebrating what’s good and beautiful about life,” Stewart said. “Because after the war, he decided that’s what he wanted to focus on — what makes life wonderful.”

Visitors of the exhibit can select between an audio or an in-depth guided tour. The audio tour offers a unique experience by featuring recordings of Wright himself, accompanied by some of his favorite music. The in-depth guided tour provides visitors with a more interactive experience, allowing them to engage directly with tour guides who can offer deeper insights and answer questions about the exhibit and its subjects.

“I hope visitors walk out feeling interested in connecting with others and being with other people and being inspired by the people in their lives,” Stewart said. “I think we all run into people who inspire us every day, but what we do with that is up to us. So I hope this inspires you to get connected with others and do great things together.”

The exhibition is included in paid tour admission. To learn more, visit franklloydwright.org.

Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Taliesin West | Tony Vaccaro: American Icons: Wright & O’Keeffe, October 20, 2023 – June 3, 2024

 Via Musee Art Out

October 20, 2023

Tony Vaccaro

 Frank Lloyd Wright, Wisconsin, 1957/Georgia O'Keeffe, Taos Pueblo, New Mexico, 1960

Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Taliesin West | Tony Vaccaro: American Icons: Wright & O’Keeffe, October 20, 2023 – June 3, 2024

Following the massive success of the “Chihuly In The Desert” exhibition in 2022, the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation continues to explore the ways that Wright connects with other iconic artists of his time through unique exhibitions at Taliesin West. As the latest iteration, the World Heritage Site will debut an exclusive “American Icons: Wright and O’Keeffe” exhibition this fall, offering guests the opportunity to view photographs of Frank Lloyd Wright and Georgia O’Keeffe – two legends of American art and architecture – taken by Michael A. “Tony” Vaccaro while on assignment for LOOK Magazine from 1957 to 1960, including some never-before-seen images.

“Wright and O’Keeffe are seen as giants in their fields but are rarely connected. Many are unaware that the pair met in 1942 and had a mutual admiration for one another’s work for many years, whilst sharing other similarities including their birthplace of rural Wisconsin; careers that took them to New York, Chicago and Japan; dwellings in the Southwest; and finding inspiration in nature for their creations of abstract versions of the world in their art. By sharing stories around their connections, the Foundation aims to contribute to a larger narrative about artists in America – they do not all work in isolation; rather, they inspire one another and find ways to connect through friendship.”




For more information visit Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation

American Icons: Wright & O’Keeffe, a new photography exhibition spotlighting Frank Lloyd Wright and Georgia O’Keeffe as photographed by Tony Vaccaro

 

Via Experience Scottsdale

The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation continues to explore the ways that Wright connects with other iconic artists of his time through unique exhibitions at Taliesin West. As the latest iteration, the World Heritage Site will debut an exclusive “American Icons: Wright and O’Keeffe” exhibition this fall, offering guests the opportunity to view photographs of Frank Lloyd Wright and Georgia O’Keeffe – two legends of American art and architecture – taken by Michael A. “Tony” Vaccaro while on assignment for LOOK Magazine from 1957 to 1960, including some never-before-seen images.

The exhibition, curated by the Foundation in partnership with the Tony Vaccaro Studio in Long Island City, N.Y., and the Monroe Galleryin Santa Fe, N.M, renowned for its unrivaled vault of historic photography, will present a behind-the-scenes, intimate visual pairing of Wright and O’Keeffe in their homes and studios. Through Vaccaro’s images and excerpts from LOOK, the exhibition - on display in the Dining Room at Taliesin West - will offer a closer look into the similar lives of the two American geniuses, how they inspired one another and how their Modernist principles continue to inspire the public today. Tickets for the exhibition, which will run from Oct. 20, 2023, to June 3, 2024, will be included with an audio or guided tour purchase.

Wright and O’Keeffe are seen as giants in their fields but are rarely connected. Many are unaware that the pair met in 1942 and had a mutual admiration for one another’s work for many years, whilst sharing other similarities including their birthplace of rural Wisconsin; careers that took them to New York, Chicago and Japan; dwellings in the Southwest; and finding inspiration in nature for their creations of abstract versions of the world in their art. By sharing stories around their connections, the Foundation aims to contribute to a larger narrative about artists in America – they do not all work in isolation; rather, they inspire one another and find ways to connect through friendship.

“Frank Lloyd Wright and Georgia O’Keeffe are American Icons. Their legacies are larger-than-life, and their names are known worldwide. What’s lesser known is their connection; they met in person in the 1940s and corresponded over the years, sharing ideas, and exchanging gifts,” said Niki Stewart, exhibition curator and vice president and chief learning & engagement officer for the Foundation. “In this exhibition, we explore that connection through the intimate photographs of Tony Vaccaro, from their shared start in Wisconsin to the homes and studios they built in the American Southwest. I’m excited to bring Wright and O’Keeffe together again through these beautiful photographs.”

Vaccaro’s photos of Wright and O’Keeffe have visual symmetry, which is why they will be displayed in pairs. By partnering with the Monroe Gallery – Tony Vaccaro’s exclusive representation – the Foundation has access to many photographs not shown to the public previously. Through the exhibition, guests will not only learn about the relationship between Wright and O’Keeffe, but also about Vaccaro’s long and impressive career.

“Working with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation affords Monroe Gallery the opportunity to place Tony Vaccaro’s iconic portraits of American Modernist Masters, Frank Lloyd Wright and Georgia O’Keeffe, together in conversation with the visitors to Taliesin West. Surrounded by the grace of Wright’s architecture, O’Keeffe and Wright as Tony Vaccaro understood them are reunited within their century’s glorious creative context,” said Monroe Gallery owners Michelle and Sid Monroe.

A Pop Up selection of Tony's photographs is also on view at The Monroe Gallery of Photography in Santa Fe, NM, through December 31, 2023.

Santa Fe's Monroe Gallery presents 'Good Trouble' taking a look at the impact of activists

 Via The Albuquerque Journal

Kathaleen Roberts

August 6, 2023

Carl Mydans/Life Picture Collection

A Pioneer Organizer Of The Office Workers' Union, Wall Street and Broad Street, NYC, 1936

Many of America’s most cherished rights materialized because someone took action.

“Good Trouble,” an exhibition of more than 50 photographs documents the power of the individual to inspire movements at Santa Fe’s Monroe Gallery of Photography.

Photographs can propel passion and inspire change, from the images of a spinning Gandhi to the Standing Rock protests.

The photographs document Civil Rights leaders as well as other lesser-known and everyday people who champion freedom across the globe, from labor to social to environmental issues.

“It’s showing the courage and the necessity for the everyday person to stand up for what’s right,” said Sidney Monroe, gallery co-owner.

The images extend from the 1930s to the present.

Life magazine photographer Carl Mydans captured an office workers’ union protest in 1936. An unidentified woman leads the group cradling an American flag. Mydans was known for his World War II photographs.

“Obviously, she is a young leader of a union,” Monroe said. “For a woman at that time, that’s pretty remarkable.”

The photographer Bill Eppridge, best known for his photographs of the late Sen. Robert Kennedy, took a portrait of the labor leader César Chávez working in a field in 1974.

Chávez was an American labor leader and Civil Rights activist. He co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers labor union. Ideologically, his world-view combined leftist politics with Catholic social teachings.

“It’s presented as an everyman, a worker, which of course, he was,” Monroe said.

The collection also encompasses contemporary risk-takers, such as Swedish climate change activist Greta Thunberg, pictured sitting alone, dwarfed by the shadow of the Swedish Parliament building. Her sign reads “School Strike for Climate.” She was 15 years old.

“It’s become a worldwide movement,” Monroe said. “Apparently, they had some lessons in school, and she said if these parents and adults aren’t going to do anything, I’ll sit outside Parliament.”

Ryan Vizzions’ photograph of the Tennessee Three documents the three state representatives who were expelled from the legislature for protesting Republican inaction on gun violence. The shot captures a press conference after they were reinstated.

Gandhi, perhaps more than any other person, embodies the exhibition’s theme of a long-term commitment to a cause. His spinning in the face of provocations during India’s anti-colonial movement was symbolic of self-sufficiency. He spun daily for one hour beginning at 4 a.m. Famed photojournalist Margaret Bourke-White shot the portrait shortly before Gandhi was assassinated.

“Gandhi was very particular about having an audience with him,” Monroe said. “He insisted she learn how to use a spinning wheel. She wrote Gandhi called her his personal tormentor because she was using this large flash. It was disruptive to his meditation.”

The exhibition will hang through Sept. 17.

'GOOD TROUBLE'

WHERE: Monroe Gallery of Photography, 112 Don Gaspar Ave., Santa Fe

WHEN: Runs through Sept. 17

INFORMATION: 505-992-0800; monroegallery.com.

THE 2023 AIPAD PHOTOGRAPHY SHOW

 

We are pleased to exhibit once again at the AIPAD Photography Show which brings together exceptional photography from the world’s top fine art photography galleries. Monroe Gallery of Photography will be located on the main floor in booth #114 and will feature three distinct exhibits.

The first feature will showcase the work of independent photojournalists covering contemporary events with a focus on global displacement and American social issues.

The second feature will showcase photographs by Sonia Handelman Meyer (1920-2022) and Ida Wyman (1926–2019), two pioneering women photographers of the Photo League, a collective of photographers active between 1936-1951 who believed their work could change poor social conditions and champion photography as an art form in the process. Both photographer’s work went unrecognized for decades. In recent years, there has been a revived interest in the radical collective that contributed incomparably towards promoting early street photography as an art form. 

The final feature will highlight work by Tony Vaccaro, who passed away in December, 2022 at the age of 100 and who was a frequent fixture in the Monroe Gallery booth through past AIPAD Shows.

Booth #114

Center415 

415 5th Avenue

(between 37th and 38th streets)

New York, NY 10016    Tickets here

Thursday, March 30 | 12:00pm - 8:00pm (VIP Opening Preview)

 Friday, March 31 | 12:00pm - 7:00pm

 Saturday, April 1 | 12:00pm - 7:00pm

 Sunday, April 2 | 12:00pm - 5:00pm

Poor People’s Art: A (Short) Visual History of Poverty in the United States; Artist's talk with Nina Berman January 12

 

January 13 – March 4, 2023

University of South Florida Contemporary Art Museum

Nina Berman: John Bonner and Richard Huntly, from the series The Black Boys of Dozier, 2013 

Thousands of boys, mainly black, passed through Dozier since it opened in 1901 as a reform school for wayward boys. But allegations over the years suggest it functioned more like a slave labor camp, with verified reports of children being hog tied and shackled. The name of the institution changed as each successive administration installed its own brand of punishment and forced labor, finally closing in 2011, not because of allegations, but according to the State, because of budget issues.

Panel discussion Thursday, January 12 with artists featured in Poor People’s Art: A (Short) Visual History of Poverty in the United States, including Nina Berman, Rico Gatson, and Jason Lazarus. Curator Christian Viveros-Fauné will lead the conversation exploring issues and topics addressed in the exhibition. This event is free and open to the public, Facebook live link here.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is well known for his “I Have a Dream” speech, yet much less emphasis is placed on his campaign to seek justice for America’s poor, “The Poor People’s Campaign.” This was a multi-cultural, multi-faith, multi-racial movement aimed at uniting poor people and their allies to demand an end to poverty and inequality. Fifty-three years after Dr. King’s death, the Reverend William Barber II launched a contemporary push to fulfill MLK’s ambitious brief — one that calls for a “revolution of values” that unites poor and impacted communities across the country. The exhibition Poor People’s Art: A (Short) Visual History of Poverty in the United States represents a visual response to Dr. King’s “last great dream” as well as Reverend Barber’s recent “National Call for Moral Revival.”

With artworks spanning more than 50 years, the exhibition is divided into two parts: Resurrection (1968-1994) and Revival (1995-2022). Resurrection includes photographs, paintings, prints, videos, sculptures, books, and ephemera made by a radically inclusive company of American artists, from Jill Freedman's photographs of Resurrection City, the tent enclave that King's followers erected on the National Mall in 1968, to John Ahearns' plaster cast sculpture Luis Fuentes, South Bronx (1979). Revival offers contemporary engagement across a range of approaches, materials, and points of view. Conceived in a declared opposition to poverty, racism, militarism, environmental destruction, health inequities, and other interlocking injustices, this exhibition shows how artists in the US have visualized poverty and its myriad knock-on effects since 1968. Participating artists include John Ahearn, Nina Berman, Martha De la Cruz, Jill Freedman, Rico Gatson, Mark Thomas Gibson, Corita Kent, Jason Lazarus, Miguel Luciano, Hiram Maristany, Narsiso Martinez, Adrian Piper, Robert Rauschenberg, Rodrigo Valenzuela, William Villalongo & Shraddha Ramani.

Poor People’s Art is curated by Christian Viveros-Fauné, CAM Curator-at-Large and organized by the USF Contemporary Art Museum.   Exhibition Press Release