Aperture Presents: Paul Strand in Mexico Symposium
International Scholars and Practitioners Gather for First Ever Symposium Devoted to Paul Strand's Historic Work in Mexico
Friday, October 15, 2010–Saturday, October 16, 2010
Organized by Aperture in association with and supported by The John B. Hurford '60 Humanities Center at Haverford College, and Coinciding with Paul Strand in Mexico Exhibition On View at Aperture Gallery through November 13, 2010
Aperture Foundation, and James Krippner, Chair of the History Department and Director of Latin-American and Iberian studies at Haverford College, Pennsylvania, and author and co-curator of Paul Strand in Mexico (Aperture, October 2010) will bring together a distinguished group of international scholars and practitioners from Mexico, the United Kingdom, and the United States to discuss Strand's output during his sojourn in Mexico in the context of Latin-American modernism, revolutionary politics and film of the 1930s, Mexican-American identity, among other topics. The illustrious participants in this unprecedented gathering include John Mraz (Mexico) and Mike Weaver (UK), among others. Screenings of the newly restored versions of the classic Strand films Redes and Manhatta (1921), and a viewing of the José Clemente Orozco murals at the New School—the only public commission by a Mexican muralist remaining in New York City—will take place as part of the symposium events.
The accompanying exhibition currently on view at Aperture Gallery, and upcoming publication of the same name published by Aperture, chronicle this pivotal time in Strand's career (1932–34), shedding new light on this little-known chapter of Strand's life. Paul Strand in Mexico demonstrates how, through his photographic studies and work in film, Strand deepened his involvement with Mexican art, society, and revolutionary politics. The exhibition and related programming commemorate the Bicentennial of Mexico's Independence and the Centennial of its Revolution. The Paul Strand in Mexico Symposium is free, and open to the public on a first come, first serve basis. Unless otherwise indicated, all programming will take place at:
Aperture Gallery and Bookstore
547 West 27th Street, 4th floor (between 10th and 11th Avenue)
New York, New York
(212) 505-5555
www.aperture.org
Program Schedule:
Friday, October 15
- 2:30 pm – Orientation and Introduction of Panelists by Aperture
- 2:45 pm – Keynote by Jim Krippner
- 3:00 pm – "Photographs as Historical Sources," Linda Gordan and John Mraz
- 4:30 pm – "Strand, Mexico, and Modernist Photography," Andrea Noble and Esther Gabara
- 7:00 pm – "Paul Strand and Filmmaking" – Screening of Manhatta and Redes at Cantor Film Center (36 East 8th Street)
Saturday, October 15
- 2:00 pm – "Photography in Mexico and United States Southwest," Anne Hammond and Leonard Folgarait
- 3:30 pm – "Strand in the History of Photography," Mike Weaver and William Williams
- 5:00 pm – Final Remarks by James Krippner
Paul Strand in Mexico is co-produced by Aperture Foundation and Televisa Foundation. Paul Strand in Mexico is made possible by the National Council for Culture and the Arts (CONACULTA), Mexico; National Endowment for the Arts as part of American Masterpieces: Three Centuries of Artistic Genius; Tinker Foundation; Mexican Cultural Institute of New York; and The John B. Hurford '60 Humanities Center at Haverford College.
Media contact: Andrea Smith, Director of Communications, Aperture Foundation, 212-946-7111; asmith@aperture.org
About the Participants:
James Krippner (co-curator, author) is Chair of the History Department and Director of Latin-American and Iberian studies at Haverford College, Pennsylvania. He is a scholar of Latin-American history, currently specializing in visual culture, and is the author of Rereading the Conquest: Power, Politics, and the History of Early Colonial Michoacán, Mexico, 1521–1565, (2001).
Linda Gordon has specialized in examining the historical roots of contemporary social policy debates, particularly as they concern gender and family issues. As a domestic violence expert, she serves on the Departments of Justice/Health and Human Services Advisory Council on Violence Against Women. More recently she turned her attention to the history of welfare.
Andrea Noble is a Professor in the School of Modern Languages and Cultures at Durham University. Professor Noble's research interests lie in the fields of Mexican visual culture studies and cultural theory, with specific reference to photography and film.
Leonard Folgarait is Professor of History of Art. His areas of teaching and research are the modern art of Latin America, with a specialization in the twentieth-century art of Mexico; and modern European and American art and architecture. Special interests are: the relationship of art to politics, early cubism, surrealism, performance art, film, photography, and historiography.
Esther Gabara received her PhD from Stanford University in 2001. Her main area of specialization is the relationship between literature and visual culture in modern and contemporary Latin America. Her research has examined photography in the Americas in terms of its impact on theories of ethics and aesthetics, the formulation of non-mainstream modernisms, and questions of race and gender.
Mike Weaver is Professorial Fellow Emeritus, Linacre College, Oxford, in London. He is editor and co-author of The Art of Photography 1839-1989, and a contributor to Paul Strand: Essays on His Life and Work.
John Mraz is Research Professor at the Instituto de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (Mexico) and National Researcher III. He has published widely in Europe, Latin America, and the United States on the uses of photography, cinema, and video in recounting the histories of Mexico and Cuba. He has also curated international photographic exhibits in Mexico, Europe, and the United States.
Fred Ritchin is the author of Mexico Through Foreign Eyes: Visto Por Ojos Extranjeros 1850-1990. Ritchin is the director of PixelPress, creating web sites, books and exhibitions investigating new documentary and promoting human rights. Fred is the former picture editor of Horizon magazine and the New York Times Magazine, former executive editor of Camera Arts magazine and the founding director of the photojournalism and documentary photography educational program, International Center of Photography.