The University of New Mexico’s Art Museum hosts “Photo Fridays,” a series of short 30-minute talks on select Fridays throughout the summer. “Photo Fridays” will give viewers an intimate glimpse inside of the Museum’s collection.

The talks, which are free and open to the public, begin at 5:30 p.m. and will be followed by a reception in the galleries. Space is limited. RSVP with Traci Quinn at tmquinn@unm.edu.

The Schedule...
June 23 - 
Miguel Gandert, Distinguished Professor, UNM Communication / Journalism

July 14 - Kymberly Pinder, dean, UNM College of Fine Arts

July 28 - Kevin Mulhearn, associate professor, UNM Photography

Much like PhotoSummer 2017’s theme of Photography as Activism, Action, and Empowerment, invited speakers will highlight works that explore the historical place of photography in social movements, activism and reform. 

The study room, where the talks will take place, is where individuals from the public can come in and take a look at any object in the museum, making it a remarkable resource that the museum provides to the public.

“Just being able to see the objects first hand is very powerful,” said Traci Quinn, curator of Education and Public Programs. “We really want people to understand that this is a resource for them, it’s not just a museum where you come and look at objects.

“The study room, where the talks will take place, is open to the public and a lot of people don’t know about it…It’s pretty unique, most museums don’t have a room where you can just pull works of art that are not behind glass.”

With 30,000 works of art in the museum’s collection and about 10,000 of them being photographs, Photo Fridays is a way to bring out items from the collection and explore them in depth with experts who can shed light from different perspectives.

The speakers are experts in different ways and shed light on the photographs from different perspectives.

Distinguished Professor Miguel Gandert will speak about documentary photographs and talk about the power of photography as a social tool. He has often photographed those on the fringes of society, including bikers, lowriders, boxers, teen-age mothers, and Mexican immigrants.

Kymberly Pinder, the dean of the UNM College of Fine Arts, will be focus on art photography as a way to challenge social injustice. Pinder is an author and lecturer, who teaches in the U.S. and abroad on representations of race and religion in American Art.

Kevin Mulhearn, UNM’s photo historian, will take a critical look at the history of photography as a racialized medium in its foundation. He specializes in contemporary global art with a particular interest in the history of photography in Africa, especially South Africa.

All community members are invited to join the talks and learn more about the items in the collection.