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Milestone Notes: Looking Back, starting  1981 - 2016

80s   In the 80s photography consisted of the classic 35mm SLR cameras, i.e., Nikon, Leica, Hasselblad, Pentax cameras and Polaroid SX70, and for many, required technical skills, knowledge of light, film types, lenses, high end strobes and lab print development.

In 1981 - Mary McNally - the first WIP president! Women in Photography represented a grassroots gathering of women to share and learn from each other. Transparency slideshows were presented on Kodak carousel equipment for screen projection.

1980-81 - The first WIP Members Exhibition at the Cityscape Photo Gallery in Pasadena, CA, July-August, 1981.
Carrie Mae Weems exhibited Family Pictures and Stories.

1981 - Created and obtained non-profit 501.c.3 status handled by Thea Litsios - October 1981. After Mary McNally, founding member and president, various presidential changes thru 1992. Board of Directors, Glenna Avila, Alexandra Milovanovich, Sylvia White. McNally presided over WIP for the first year and it changed presidencies throughout the 80s-90s.

1983 - the DISTINGUISHED PHOTOGRAPHERS AWARD was created (presented to living photographers). Established to give recognition to an artist who has contributed significantly to the world of photography. Past 80s recipients include: Eve Arnold 1983 (1st award), Ruth Bernhard 1984, Judy Dater 1985, Ruth Orkin 1986, Linda McCartney 1987 and Mary Ellen Mark 1988.

1985-1987 - WIP 80s programs included: juried competitions, member "show and tell" gatherings, Evening with... (guest female photographer), along with lectures and small member gatherings. During that period there were two (2) photography catalogs and juried exhibitions:
Women Photographers in America, juried 1985 catalog (The Woman’s Building and LA Center of Photography)
Women Photographers in America, 1987 catalog, juried exhibition, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, Aug. 11-Sept 13, 1987. (’87 catalog included in archive binder)

Late 1987 - production of f2 Quarterly printed newsletter.
Newsletter profiling photographers, events, competitions and call for entries was created and produced, starting in 1987, intermittently published until 1992 with Editor Bobbi Mapstone under the guidance of new Director Nancy Clendaniel. Linda McCartney was chosen as the Distinguished Photographer of 1987.

Spring 1988 - Long Beach, CA, Photo West - Paris Photo Lab booth Nancy Clendaniel, Director while promoting WIP, met Jean Ferro, PhotoArtist, signing autographs for her feature layout in ZOOM Magazine. Jean joined WIPI Advisory Board and collaborated on WIPI's projects with Clendaniel.

1989-1990 - TV show - 3 part series - Photography Today 
WIP Los Angeles - created and hosted by Nancy Clendaniel
http://womeninphotography.org/historical/WIPIhistory2.html#phototv
#1 - Photography in Los Angeles
Dec 4, 1989   Guests: Jean Ferro, PhotoArtist & Steve Wilzbach, Fine Art & Documentary Photographer
#2 - Photojournalism
Jan 10, 1990   Guest: Michael Jacobs, Photojournalist
#3 - The Business of Photography
Feb 14, 1990  Guest: Maria Piscopo, Marketing & Promotions Expert  
30 min. segments, filmed in color at Century Cable station facilities, Hollywood, CA


1989 - 1992 - (2) International Exhibitions
1989 WIP International exhibition in Stockholm, England and Italy with special Behind the Lens lecture series, a selection of exhibitors, published in ZOOM Magazine 1989, juried by Val Williams and curated by Linda Bellon Fisher.
1992 - Women in Photography Celebrates Freedom (see below-Winter 1992)

90s
Distinguished Photographer Award - the selected photographer received a selection of ten member prints contained in a leather bound Brewer Cantelmo portfolio case. - Distinguished Photographer Profiles documented in the f2 newsletters. Joyce Tenneson, 1990, Berenice Abbott, 1991 and Grace Robertson, 1992.
Winter 1992 - WIP Celebrates Freedom (48 photographers/50 images) Los Angeles Photography Center/small b/w images published in the winter 1992 f2 Quarterly, Women in Photography International Special edition WIP Celebrates Freedom opened in Stockholm.

In 1992 - Director Nancy Clendaniel moved to Seattle and the organization lay dormant (zzzZzz) until 1999.

Winter 1992 - Special Edition of  f2, Judy Dater Profile by Nancy Clendaniel - excerpt:
After a year of discussion and observations among the WIPI Board, Advisory Board, founding members, f2Editor and myself, it seems that WIPI is another outdated organization that needs to be redesigned or disbanded. Many women have progressed so well in their field of photography that there is no longer a need for the “umbrella” that WIPI has always offered. We find, as our membership dwindles, that women are turning to the needs of one, family and survival, rather than to group efforts.

It is with this realization that Women in Photography, its Board of Directors, Advisory Board and Executive Director, plan to close the doors of the organization. The closing of the WIP CELEBRATES FREEDOM exhibit at the Los Angeles Photography Center marks our last major WIP effort. - Published in ZOOM Magazine, presentation of WIPI 1992.
  
1997-1999 - new developments - changes

Ferro and Clendaniel (both originally from Philadelphia area) collaborated to reestablish WIPI as an online resource.  Ferro, visiting the New York Public Library women’s photographic exhibition in October 1996, noticed a credit by Historian Peter Palmquist, Arcata, CA whose Women in Photography archive was drawn upon for the exhibition. Jean suggested they find Peter, who would be an important collaborator for WIPI’s new online launch.

1997 - Nancy met with Peter who visited her in Renton, WA where he collected (in part) the early materials from 1981 thru 1992 and included the early files into his on going Women In Photography Archive. In the 1990s, both Peter and WIP changed the name to Women in Photography International. Quote on shirt: I have always imagined that paradise will be a kind of library.  ~  Jorge Luis Borges

2000
THE DIGITAL EVOLUTION - changed the face of photography for women's work


1999 - In November, Clendaniel and Ferro together launched womeninphotography.org -  the online website, and invited Historian Peter Palmquist to become an Advisory Board member and to contribute historical features to the re-invented f2-ezine. (Archive 2, Mar 1999-Jun 2002).  Peter’s first historical feature profile for the organizations website, California's Earliest Photographer May Have been a 12 Year Old Girl (Archive 1, Apr 2000-Jun 2000). http://www.womeninphotography.org/historical/PeterPalmquist.html

Spring 2000 - Jean Ferro became president, advancing WIPI into the 21st Century, leading the organization to the #1 online resource promoting visibility of women photographers worldwide through juried competitions/exhibitions.

2001 - Palmquist placement of his historical bibliography of 23,000 women photographers and A-Z publications on WomenInPhotography.org complimented WIPI’s vibrant new adventure and Peter’s long-standing archive.

The need for specialization on the internet spurred the growth of the organization forward as women gathered for recognition of their work, and WIPI was one of the first organizations to provide an online exhibition space and feature stories of women photographers. The newly revised f2 printed newsletter became the online f2-eZine. Peter contributed his 2000 Women in Photography Millennium Project (work in progress) to the website with the last updated version April 2, 2001. See Reference Library: http://womeninphotography.org/bookarchive/index.html

2001 - WIPI’s 20th Anniversary Production - International Tea Time, Images of Women, Images of Tea. Jean Ferro had enlisted graphic designer Sharyn Keller, and together they collaborated on the design and production of the artwork for the Tea Time poster, DVD, and promo materials. While working on the final digital art files, tragic 9/11 gripped the country and the world. The digital files had to be delivered on September 14th … and the difficult decision was made to compartmentalize, put emotions aside and hyperfocus to make the deadline. DISC MASTERS noted 9/11 on the proof print below.   http://womeninphotography.org/teatime/teatimeL.html



Due to 9/11 all international exhibition opportunities outside the USA were cancelled from 2002 forward.

2001 - 20th Anniversary Exhibition - House of Photographic Arts in San Juan Capistrano, Oct 10-Dec 15, went on as planned and the DVD/poster completed. Linda McCartney’s b/w image “Tea Pot” was the featured image donated by the McCartney Foundation. Sixty-three photographers and seventy-five images were exhibited, including Linda’s daughter, Mary McCartney. Juried by Charlotte Cotton and Joyce Wilson.

2002 - WIPI Photo LA - In January, because of 9/11, an opportunity was presented for WIPI to participate in photo la for the first time. A WIPI onsite auction including work by WIPI Distinguished Photographers, Joyce Tenneson, Ruth Bernhard, and member work was curated by member photographer Joanne Warfield. List of WIPI exhibitions: http://womeninphotography.org/exhibits.html

2003 - Annie Leibovitz - Distinguished Photographer Award presentation - a collaboration with the 1st Annual Lucie Awards, Beverly Hilton Hotel, Beverly Hills, CA. There hadn't been an award since 1992 and Annie was the #1 choice to rekindle the WIPI Awards program because of her successful career in commercial photography, raising the bar for women photographers worldwide. Summer 2003 first shipment of WIPI organization archive to the Beinecke.

2002-2004 Photo LA - special WIPI Member print exhibitions. - Reentered in 2011 (WIPI 30th Anniv) through 2015 - both print and addition of digital were onsite presentations. Photo LA 2015 installation Put Yourself in the Picture interactive photo mirror collage, also exhibited at the 2nd Annual 2015 Photo Independent Fair at Raleigh Studios/LA.

2004 - Sylvia Plachy - Distinguished Photographer Award, 2nd Annual Lucie Awards, American Theater, NYC. Presented to Plachy by Joyce Tenneson and Jean Ferro with a special taped congratulation from her son Adrien Brody with accompaniment of actor Jack Black (who were filming King Kong in Australia).

2005 - Carrie Mae Weems - WIPI special announcement - Unable to participate in the Lucie Award program due to Carrie’s year long Italian residency, WIPI named Weems their Distinguished Photographer without the support of the Lucie Awards.

2006 - 25th Anniversary - print submission, online slideshow. Kodak Professional sponsored 150 limited edition books distributed to winning photographers, jurors and museums and universities worldwide. Strong outreach promotion, press and membership continued. http://womeninphotography.org/Events-Exhibits/Anniversary25/exhibitors.html

2008 - “One Hundred” - Distinguished, Established, Emerging and Debutante categories announced.
http://www.womeninphotography.org/Events-Exhibits/DistinguishedPhotog/wipi-100-winners-2008.html

2010
ONLINE FEATURES and JURIED COMPETITIONS & EXHIBITIONS

2001 thru 2015 - Exhibitions onsite and online: approximately 29 exhibitions, presenting over 1500 hundred women photographers and their work, adding to the thousands of women who recognized WIPI as a source of exposure. Many wonderful articles came from Patrizia Pulga from Italy, her features covered women from Africa and the Middle East as well as her early 2001 in depth CENSUS ABOUT WOMEN PHOTOGRAPHERS CURRENTLY ACTIVE IN ITALY, EUROPE AND THE MEDITERRANEAN REGION (Archive 5, Jan-Mar 2001).

2011 - 30th Anniversary Exhibition - celebrated online and onsite at photo la 2011, curated by Carol Henry with support from Jean Ferro.  With the popularity of social media as a source, Facebook became primary event promotion along with the website. Candace Biggerstaff curated 2012 and 2013 photo la with the support of her daughter, photographer Callie Biggerstaff. See WIPI homepage: http://womeninphotography.org/wipihome.html

2013 - Editta Sherman - 101 year-old NYC photographer, "Duchess of Carnegie Hall" - named WIPI Distinguished Photographer. Editta was so grateful for the award, and within one month of receiving the award, died from an accidental fall. It was one of WIPI’s proudest awards to a photographer who dedicated her life to her work. Her family called Jean to let her know it gave her so much joy to know she was honored by WIPI at this last juncture of her life. http://womeninphotography.org/Events-Exhibits/DistinguishedPhotog/EdittaSherman-2013/index.html

2015
TRANSITION - 2014 - 2015 presentation - Seventy (70) CHARTER member profiles and image galleries, delivery of all contributed printed materials, computer and backup drive of website and all competition files and onsite presentation materials to the Women in Photography International, Western Americana Collection, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University. Charter Member Gallery portfolio and biography presentation. On binder DVD and online: http://womeninphotography.org/Events-Exhibits/YALE-WIPI-ARCHIVE/submission2-NAMES.html


Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library/Yale University, Western Americana Collection - June 24, 2015 transferral of final archive files - all printed materials, books, DVDs, paperwork and Apple G4 iLamp computer - followed by backup hard drive digital files in September 2015. Seventeen boxes, total.

Great appreciation for the dedication and support of Charter Member Sharyn Keller, 2001 thru 2016. Sharyn provided her graphic design/production skills and assistance (long days, countless hours) with competitions, promotional materials, outreach and scanning/organization/transfer of the WIPI digital and physical archive files in collaboration with WIPI president, Jean Ferro.

As of 2015-2016 - all files, prints, books, competition submissions, correspondence files and computer associated to the original Los Angeles based Women In Photography (WIP) and (WIPI) 1981-2016 organization are now archived in the Collection of Western Americana at the Yale Beinecke Library. After gathering the final materials since 2014 — the final step — ten limited edition unique binders (each approx. 150+ pages with DVDs) produced by Jean Ferro and Sharyn Keller were mailed to Museums & Libraries, September 2016. It’s once again time to adjust, review, plan and prepare for new outreach and collaborations that will best serve and promote the visibility and education of women photographers and their work.

WIPI 2016 - 35th ANNIVERSARY

2016 - After two years of Jean Ferro and Sharyn Keller pulling the WIPI Archive together for transition, Grace Robertson's delightful 1954 image, Pub Outing reminds us to start dancing in celebration of WIPI's new home at the Beinecke.  

1992 WIPI Distinguished Photographer Awardee, Grace Robertson

Grace Robertson (English, b. 1930) Robertson is a noted photojournalist. Knowing that few women in the 1950's held a career in photojournalism, Robertson found it necessary to work under the pseudonym Dick Muir. In 1950, Robertson was hired at The Picture Post, where she spent the majority of her career photographing post-war Britain. One of Robertson's most notable assignments was to photograph the Battersea Women's Pub outing. Grace followed the women as they sipped beer, danced in a conga line, and rode roller coasters.

Grace Robertson is married to fellow photojournalist Thurston Hopkins with whom she lives outside of London. She currently writes and gives lectures on the role of women in photography. In 1999, Robertson was awarded the Order of the British Empire, one of the country's highest honors. Represented in Los Angeles by Peter Fetterman Gallery.

WIPI HISTORY:     http://womeninphotography.org/wipihistory.html
http://womeninphotography.org/historical/WIPIhistory2.html