The Living Archive
Aaron Turner, Untitled, Self Extended, from Black Alchemy Vol. 3, 2020
On May 29, 2025, MoCP presented a series of conversations that explored topics of authorship, representation, and the dissemination of information as they relate to the past, present, and future of photography.
This special edition of Focal Point Extras captures the conversation between scholar and educator Laura Wexler (Yale University) and artist, art historian, and educator Shawn Michelle Smith (School of the Art Institute of Chicago) on the topic of “The Living Archive.” The two discuss artists who work with archives to expand fixed notions of history, and people who call for a reassessment of ownership and control over photographed people within archives.
This symposium was in conjunction with the exhibition, Collaboration: A Potential History of Photography in Dialogue with the MoCP Collection curated by Wendy Ewald, Susan Meiselas, Laura wexler, and MoCP Curator of Academic Programs and Collections, Kristin Taylor.
Image Credit:
Aaron Turner, Untitled, Self Extended, from Black Alchemy Vol. 3, 2020
