School:
Smith College,
Pratt Institute
The George Washington University
Women on the Edge: Alternative Processes in New England Vermont Center for Photography July 5 - September 1, 2024
Lindsey Beal (RI) Megan Bent (CT) Anne Eder (MA) Jeannie Hutchins (ME) Connie Lowell (NH) Rachel Portesi (VT) Dale Rio (CT)
If one thinks of art in New England, iconographic imagery comes to mind; lobster pots, covered bridges, rolling farmland. Stylistically conservative and safe. But within the world of alternative process photography, there are many artists in New England who are experimenting at the fringes of their art form. They play with process and push the boundaries of photography, often challenging the definition of the medium itself. The artists in this exhibition experiment with subject matter, concept, process, and presentation and represent a wide-ranging variety of processes from cyanotype and wet plate collodion to chlorophyll prints and phytograms. They combine science and art in both subject and process, approaching photography as both a technological and artistic medium with an expansive history that can be tapped into for inspiration. Alternative process photography is an artistic realm unlike any other, where women play a visibly pivotal role. They are the preeminent exhibiting artists, educators, authors, and researchers. In other art forms, there exists a shocking gender disparity in gallery and museum representation, hiring at key institutions, and rates of pay, but in “alt pro” women have created an environment where they lead the way. Lux et Libera was created to celebrate the women working in alternative processes, disrupt existing inequities in the broader art world, and foster a non-competitive environment that encourages creative risk-taking and the creation of exhibition, educational, and community-building opportunities for the female-identifying artists who are at the forefront of the medium.
