aug-20 | #inmygarden #kilncroft #selkirk
#latesummerstorm #gardenview #artistswhowalk #artistswhowander #walkingartpractice #miksangphotography #contemplativephotography
“One of my graduate students several years ago was part of the second wave of feminism inspired by Betty Friedan’s 1963 book, The Feminine Mystique. My student directly experienced the soul-destroying lifestyle of dutiful wife and mother of the 1950s and early 1960s. Turning her frustration into anger, and her anger into action, she battled with her husband to share in household tasks and childcare so she could have a professional career. She, and her her peers, struggled against a rigid patriarchy and the cultural standards of the day. In the end, her husband left her and she forged the life she wanted, but at a great cost.
“When I met her, she was pursuing a MFA in photography at the age of 70. Her graduate thesis was making portraits and doing interviews with her peers, who were mid-century women who had massively uprooted their home lives, took a firm stand against cultural norms, and courageously sought career opportunities to become contributing members of society. Their portraits depicted great bravery and strength along with a deep sense of resignation and grief over what they had to sacrifice.
“I found the photographs exceedingly strong, and she graduated with honours.”
David Ulrich | Zen Camera