02/19/2009

Stella Johnson brings "Al Sol"

Images of Mexico, Cameroon and Nicaragua come to Brookline

Noted photographer Stella Johnson has captured the essence of third world indigenous cultures in her photographs. “Al Sol” reflecting, with respect, the minutiae of daily life.

Her monograph; AL SOL: Photographs from Mexico, Camorron and Nicargua was published this year.

Johnson, who draws from many sources, including her Greek heritage, captures the essence of the villages. “In my work, I live alongside the people and photograph moments of their lives to add to the collective memory, “says Johnson. “My Greek grandmothers were raised in villages like these. These are my roots and in making photographs I find my home.”

It has been said Johnson’s work often extends beyond the frame; that she serves as an investigator and detective in search of evidence, not of crime or violence but, rather of ‘possibility magnified’ through the lens of her camera.

Johnson, who received a Fulbright Scholarship to photograph in Mexico, has been twice named a Fulbright scholar to teach in Mexico and Ecuador. Her work is in the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park in Lincoln, MA., the Hallmark Museum of Contemporary Photography and the University of Maine Museum of Art among others. She teaches at both Boston and Lesley Universities.

"Gallery 303 and the student body of The New England Institute of Art are honored to welcome a photographer of such importance in the photographic community and to share her work with our aspiring students,” says Gallery Club student Lindsay Nolin. “We are eager to learn about her journey as a lens based artist through the images she's created."

Johnson will deliver a special lecture on AL SOL, Monday, February 23 from 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. in Gallery 303, located at 303 Boylston Street (Route 9) in Brookline. The talk will be followed by a reception. Both are at no charge and open to the public.