Willingly or no, whether or not they consider themselves “photographers” or “artists” or whatever, these individuals and many others are exploring the same field of ideas. That field of ideas is built into and springs from the medium of photography itself; it has a history and tradition of its own which is operative on many levels of our culture. […]
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A play about the relationship between Edward Weston and Tina Modotti does fall into my bailiwick, so how could I resist a comp for the world premiere opening night of Modotti on June 8? At the very least, the creation and production of such a work — like the bizarre Arbus biopic/fantasy Fur — bespeaks recognition of photographers as significant cultural figures whose private and professional lives merit our attention. So, as an index of photography’s status within our overall cultural consciousness, this is a certifiable good thing, on a par with the publication of biographies of photographers, though of course increased quantity does not guarantee quality. […] |
 SPJ Research Award 2014 |