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Hofstra University Museum
  • Uncharted: American Abstraction in the Information Age | January 28-June 19, 2020 | Emily Lowe Gallery, behind Emily Lowe Hall, South Campus
  • David Filderman Gallery | Other People’s Parties | August 13, 2019-March 13, 2020 | Joan and Donald Axinn Library Ninth Floor, South Campus

On Location:
Women Photographers from the Hofstra University Museum Collection

January 14 - June 27, 2008
David Filderman Gallery, Joan and Donald E. Axinn Library, 9th floor


What influences a photographer's choice of location?

Photographers capture the world on film, either their everyday environment or traveling the world seeking out images. This exhibition from the Hofstra University Museum's permanent collection includes works by six of photography's most renowned and prestigious American masters. These women were, and continue to be, pioneers in the male-dominated field of photography.

The photographers all made deliberate choices about the location of their photographs. Some of the photographers decided to explore the locality in which they lived. Berenice Abbott (1898-1991) was known for her black and white scenes that celebrated the architecture and urban scene of New York City in the 1930's and 1940's. In 1935, Abbott was hired by the Federal Art Project (FAP) as a project supervisor for the "Changing New York" project, where she documented the landscape of the city. Diane Arbus (1923-1971) was a photojournalist who focused on outsiders on the fringe of society. Throughout the 1950s and 1960's her chosen location was extensively New York City. Her photos appeared in Esquire, The New York Times Magazine, Harper's Bazaar and Sunday Times magazines, among others. Mary Ellen Mark (born 1940) is known as a documentary photographer who's empathetic and penetrating vision of life in America in the 1980's has received praise and controversy. She was recently voted the "Most Influential Woman Photographer of All Time" by American Photo magazine.

Three photographers travel the world, discovering images in the landscapes of Europe, Asia, South America, and the United States. Marilyn Bridges (born 1948) is one of the worlds' foremost aerial and landscape photographers. She visits well-known ancient and modern sites with the hopes of giving the viewer a fresh perspective. Her photographs have appeared in major magazines, including Vanity Fair, Conde Nast Traveler, Life, Archaeology, Smithsonian and The New York Times. Erica Lennard (born 1950) is one of the preeminent photographers of gardens today, traveling to Europe and Asia. She began her career as a commercial and fashion photographer for clients such as Vogue, Elle, Marie Claire, Interview and Rolling Stone to name a few. Sally Gall (born 1956) earned her reputation as a landscape photographer who captures the mystery and wonder of her locations. She is an editorial, commercial and fine art photographer for The New York Times Sunday Magazine, Travel & Leisure Magazine, Esquire, Men's Journal and more.


  • Uncharted: American Abstraction in the Information Age | January 28-June 19, 2020 | Emily Lowe Gallery, behind Emily Lowe Hall, South Campus
  • David Filderman Gallery | Other People’s Parties | August 13, 2019-March 13, 2020 | Joan and Donald Axinn Library Ninth Floor, South Campus