WIDENING THE LENS: WOMEN IN FOCUS
Instructor: Lesly Deschler Canossi | Tuition: $395 (Members) $465 (Non-Members) |
Dates: Tuesdays, April 22 - May 27 | Time: 6-8 PM EST
Image 1 © Anne Brigman, Heart of the Storm, 1918, gelatin silver print, 7 3/4 x 9 3/4 in.
Image 2 © Anna Atkins, Kalymenia dubyi, 1853, cyanotype, 9 15/16 x 7 7/8 in
Image 3 © Vase of lilies with Hannah Maynard's portrait, 1895 courtesy of the Royal BC Museum
Since its inception, women have played vital roles in photography, working alongside renowned pioneers as printers, image-makers, technicians, and entrepreneurs. From photo books and surrealism to collage, cameraless photography, and contemporary art, women have used the medium as a tool for expression, survival, and business. Yet, history often relegated these practitioners to the margins or erased them entirely.
Widening the Lens seeks to reimagine photographic history and contemporary discourse to more accurately reflect the diverse range of practitioners who have been overlooked or excluded. Through weekly lectures designed to inspire and engage, alongside short readings for deeper exploration, participants will delve into critical discussions, foster lively conversations, and build meaningful connections.
By the end of this course, participants will develop a richer understanding of photography, an expanded vocabulary for discussing the medium, and a greater awareness of its historical and representational significance. This course welcomes participants of all backgrounds and levels of experience.
If your desired tuition option is unavailable, please email info@penumbrafoundation.org and we will do our best to accommodate you. If the entire class is sold out, we can add you to the waitlist.
Lesly Deschler Canossi is a photography educator, researcher, and artist whose work challenges traditional narratives in photographic history. She earned her MFA in Photography and Electronic Image from the Maryland Institute College of Art. She is faculty at the International Center of Photography, and pioneered "Into the Fold: Mother Artist Identity," the first course at a major photographic institution exploring artist/parent identity through lens and performance-based works.
Deschler Canossi co-founded Women Picturing Revolution, an organization amplifying women-identifying photographers who document conflicts and crises in both private and public spheres. She is the co-editor of "Black Matrilineage, Photography, and Representation: Another Way of Knowing" (Leuven University Press, 2022), which examines the intersections of Blackness, gender, health, sexuality, and digital culture in photography.
Her artistic practice explores themes of care, mother(ing), and grief, while her current research investigates the relationship between imagery and public policy. In 2009 she founded Fiber Ink Studio, an archival pigment print and scanning studio, and she leads critique groups for La Luz Workshops and the Center of Photography Woodstock (CPW).