Educators on Exhibitions: Portraits, with SCAD photography chair Michael James O’Brien
SCAD Museum of Art theater, Savannah
Thursday, April 10, 5:00pm
Join the SCAD Museum of Art and SCAD chair of photography Michael James O’Brien for Educators on Exhibitions, a series that illuminates academic perspectives on current SCAD MOA shows. As an artist and activist, O’Brien has photographed faces as varied as Keanu Reeves, Allen Ginsberg, and Amanda Lepore; documented drag artists of the 1980s downtown New York club scene; and used portraiture as a means to explore identity and persona. At this talk, O’Brien offers his unique point of view on the exhibition Zanele Muholi, which features portraits from the South African artist’s oeuvre that challenge gender stereotypes and emphasize the need for visibility for marginalized communities.
O’Brien, who has similarly used his craft to platform LGBTQIA+ communities, will share insights and stories from his more than 40-year career capturing the essence of his sitters, while speaking on his photographic kinship with Muholi’s work. After O’Brien’s talk, SCAD Museum of Art curator Ben Tollefson will offer additional reflections on a guided tour of the exhibition, followed by an optional — but encouraged — 30-minute workshop on the art of the portrait.
This event is free and open to the public.
