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| NMWA RECEIVES DONATION OF DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHS BY CHEREL ITO | |
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January 25, 2008 Media contact: Michelle Cragle 202-783-7373; mcragle@nmwa.org WASHINGTON—The National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) recently acquired 34 documentary photographs by Cherel Ito. The two suites of works are from Ito’s North American travels—one, from 1968, of Mississippi and the Ozarks, and the second, from 1968 and 1980, of various American Indian Nations. Photographs by Cherel Ito: Recent Donations to the Collection is on view at NMWA Feb. 29 through May 25, 2008. “Ito’s black-and-white photographs offer a chronicle of one woman’s journey to expand her humanity. This generous donation by the artist’s mother, Mimi Feldman, is an important contribution to the museum’s growing collection of documentary photography,” said Susan Fisher Sterling, NMWA Deputy Director and Chief Curator. For more than thirty years American photographer Cherel Ito (1947–1999) traveled throughout five continents, “seeking not just to look at her fellow humans, but to meet their eyes.” She marveled at their differences, appreciated their similarities, and regarded her camera as a repository of stories and memories. Her aunt, Lani Hall Alpert, noted that her camera was like her fifth appendage—she rarely saw Ito without it. Cherel Ito’s early career centered on photography and writing. She studied at the San Francisco Art Institute, the International Center for Photography in New York, and Amherst College in Massachusetts. In 1975, Cherel married composer Teiji Ito, and her creative interests expanded to include experimental and performance music as well as documentary filmmaking. She traveled extensively with her husband, seeking opportunities for photographic excursions. They worked together on many projects, including the documentary The Divine Horseman: The Living Gods of Haiti (1985), which explored ritual Haitian voodoo ceremonies. Photo Caption Untitled (From the American Indian Nations series), 1968/1980 Gelatin silver print Gift of Mimi Feldman, Executor of Estate of Cherel Ito © Estate of Cherel Ito NMWA at 20 The National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA), founded in 1981 and opened in April 1987, is the only museum dedicated solely to celebrating the achievements of women in the visual, performing, and literary arts. The museum contains works by more than 900 artists in its permanent collection, maintains a Library and Research Center, and conducts multidisciplinary programs for diverse audiences. In the past 20 years since its’ opening the museum has presented more than 200 exhibitions, expanded its permanent collection to include over 3,600 pieces, and has a membership ranking it in the top ten museums nationally with more than 30,000 members. In celebration of the museum’s 20th anniversary three ground-breaking exhibits will be presented: The Book as Art: Twenty Years of Artists’ Books from the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Italian Women Artists from Renaissance to Baroque, and WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution, 1965-1980. The museum will also inaugurate CLARA: Database of Women Artists™, a Web-accessible, authoritative resource for students, scholars, and the general public. NMWA is located at 1250 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C., in a landmark building near the White House. It is open Monday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. and Sunday, noon–5 p.m. For information, call 202-783-5000 or visit the museum’s Web site at www.nmwa.org. |
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|  For images, interviews, and more information, contact Michelle Cragle or media@nmwa.org or call 202.783.7373 |