A new exhibition at the Princeton University Art Museum, titled Photography as a Way of Life, explores how a group of Princeton teachers helped transform photography into a recognized art form in the mid-20th century. The show features works by Minor White, Aaron Siskind, Harry Callahan, and other influential photographers, running until September 7.
Key Figures in the Movement
Minor White, Aaron Siskind, and Harry Callahan were central to the shift in how photography was perceived from the 1940s to the 1970s. White founded and edited Aperture magazine, which advocated for photography as a tool for social justice. Siskind, known for his abstract expressionist details, taught at the IIT Institute of Design and Rhode Island School of Design. Callahan, who began photography as a hobby, later chaired the photography department at the Institute of Design and taught at RISD.
Notable Works on Display
- Aaron Siskind: Pleasures and Terrors of Levitation 37 (1953) and Martha’s Vineyard Ill B (1954).
- Minor White: San Francisco, 16 July 1949 and a layout mock-up for the first issue of Aperture (1952).
- Harry Callahan: Eleanor, Chicago (1952) and Eleanor and Barbara, Chicago (1953).
- Ming Smith: Oopdeedoo, Brooklyn, New York (1976), the first African American woman in MoMA’s collection.
- Walter Chappell: Burned Mirror Man, Denver, Colorado (1956), influenced by White’s teaching.
- Nathan Lyons: Untitled (1957), a mentee of White who founded the Visual Studies Workshop.
Impact on Education and the Art World
The exhibition highlights how these photographers integrated the medium into higher education. Callahan joined the New Bauhaus faculty in 1946, while Siskind taught at IIT and RISD. White taught at the California School of Fine Arts, Rochester Institute of Technology, and MIT. Their legacy continues through institutions like the Visual Studies Workshop and the widespread acceptance of photography as fine art.
The show also features works by Donna-Lee Phillips, whose Fragments from a Visual Journal (1977) combines text and image, and Jan Davis, whose Vicinity of Pescadero, California (1951) explores the California landscape. Curated by Briana Ellis-Gibbs, the exhibition runs through September 7 at the Princeton University Art Museum.
