Monday, September 11, 2017Laura Wilson’s THAT DAY: Pictures in the American West

Laura Wilson (Born 1930)

From Massachusetts

Attended Connecticut College (studied art and literature)

Moved to Dallas in 1966

Realized her creative potential and innate talent and pursued a career in photography

Husband, Bob Wilson, was an advisor to the Amon Carter and facilitated the connection to Avedon

Avedon inspired her to further her photographic careerPhotograph courtesy Andrew Mitchell

Art Historical Context

Photography and the American WestLandscapes

William Henry Jackson, Flaming Gorge on the Green River, 1870

Ansel Adams, Half Dome, 1960

Photography and the American WestPortraits

Edward Curtis, Qahatika Child,ca. 1907

Dorthea Lange, Migrant Mother1936

Photography and the American WestAvedon’s In the American West

Richard Avedon, Self Portrait, 1980

Laura Wilson and Richard Avedon

Ruedi Hofmann, Laura Wilson and Richard Avedon

Dovima with Elephants, Cirque d'Hiver, Paris, 1955; Marilyn Monroe, 1957; Ronald Regan, 1976; Napalm Victim, 1979; Nastassja Kinski and the Serpent, 1981

Mitchell Wilder Director Amon Carter Museum1961-79

Select portraits from In the American West, 1979-1985

In the American West at the Amon Carter Museum, September, 1985

SimilaritiesChallenge Western stereotypes

Richard Avedon, Boyd Fortin, 13-Year Old Rattlesnake Skinner, Sweetwater, Texas, 1979

Laura Wilson, Blind Woman and Child, Colonia, Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, April 19, 1993, Gelatin silver print, 2015

SimilaritiesA “peopled landscape”

Laura Wilson, Cowboys Walking, J.R. Green Cattle Company, Shackelford County, Texas, May 13, 1997, Gelatin silver print, 2015

Richard Avedon, Loretta, Loudilla, and Kay Johnson, co-presidents, Loretta Lynn Fan Club, Wild Horse, Colorado, 1983

SimilaritiesInvite the direct gaze

Richard Avedon, Benson James, Drifter, Route 66, Gallup, NM, 1979

Laura Wilson, Ogala Sioux Woman Pleading with Tribal Leader, Whiteclay, Nebraska, December 13, 1996, Gelatin silver print, 2015

SimilaritiesScale

Installation shots at Amon Carter Museum, 1985 and 2015

SimilaritiesExemplary technique

Printing instructions for Lyal Burr, Coal Miner, and his sons Kerry and Phillip. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Koosharem, Utah, 1981

Laura Wilson in her darkroom

DifferencesWhite Backdrop vs. Context/Landscape

Laura Wilson, Emma, Duncan Ranch Colony, Harlowton, Montana, June 17, 1994, Gelatin silver print, 2015

Richard Avedon, Juan Patricio Lobato, Carney, Rocky Ford, Colorado, 1980

DifferencesIsolation vs. Community

Laura Wilson, Hutterite Girls during Hay-Making Season, Surprise Creek Colony, Stanford, Montana, August 22, 1991, Gelatin silver print, 2015Richard Avedon, Charlene Van Tighem,

Physical Therapist, Augusta, Montana, 1983

DifferencesShock Value

• Ronald Fischer, beekeeper, Davis, California, 1981

I am looking for people who are surprising—heartbreaking—or beautiful in a terrifying way.

-Richard Avedon

Richard Avedon, Beekeeper, Davis, California, 1981

Laura Wilson, Richard Avedon, and Watt Matthews, Lambshead Ranch, 1979

Laura Wilson, Owen Wilson, twelve years old, Lambshead Ranch, November 1981

• Informed by work with Avedon

• Photographs taken over almost four decades

• Document a particular time and place

• Journal entries; Wilson’s voice

THAT DAY grants us access to isolated communities

Laura Wilson, Hutterite Girl with Her Horse, Chattahoochee, Surprise Creek Colony, Stanford, Montana, August 15, 1992, Gelatin silver print, 2015

Laura Wilson, Cock Fighting Spurs, Webb County, Texas, May 12, 1994, Gelatin silver print, 2015

THAT DAY documents a region and its diverse residents

Laura Wilson, Donald Judd, Marfa, Texas, November 3, 1993, Silver halide print, 2015

Laura Wilson, Two Ogala Sioux Men, Whiteclay, Nebraska, February 13, 1996, Gelatin silver print, 2015

THAT DAY reveals the coexistence of unique lifestyles and customs

Laura Wilson, Mullin Bulldogs Starting Six, Democrat, Texas, September 16, 1995, Gelatin silver print, 2015

Laura Wilson, First Communion, Dallas, Texas, May 22, 1998, Gelatin silver print, 2015

THAT DAY prompts conversationand reflection

Laura Wilson, Debutantes on Stage, Larado, Texas, February 19, 1993, Gelatin silver print, 2015

Laura Wilson, Nathan Tindall, Sheriff with Sam and Neal Thomas, San Augustine County, Texas, August 4, 1993, Gelatin silver print, 2015

Artistic Process

Large Format

Gelatin silver printsmost popular means of printing in the 20th century; wet printed in darkroom