PHOTO 101

Coming out of the 1970s, photographers began redefining the medium of photography, abandoning the documentation of the moment and embracing old concepts of “idea photography” developed and supported by a group of Pictorialists brought together by Alfred Stieglitz in the early 1900s. In 1981, while studying at Pratt Institute, Karen Ghostlaw began her journey behind the lens, becoming a Pictorialist, utilizing her camera as a means of expression. In her earliest classes with American Photographer William Gedney, she explored the nude figure, apprehending the human body and stepping into an intimate world. PHOTO 101 examines the beginnings of Karen's practices in visual storytelling. Her explorations led to the critical and creative processes that define her photography in new and unusual ways. The opening of these archives examines Karen's foundation in art and photography, visually illuminating how she has learned to translate the world around her.