Lois Conner | Flat Earth & Long Photos

Real Photo Show with Michael Chovan-Dalton

Photographer and educator, Lois Conner and I talk about her amazing life in photography, her many influences, including working at the United Nations, love of art history, and of course, her work, including Lois' most recent show, Flat Earth. It was such a pleasure to have Lois on as my former thesis instructor, friend, and 150th guest on the show. This also marks that last regular episode for a while as I contemplate the future of the show and plan for more event based episodes with the JKC Gallery.

https://www.loisconner.net https://www.instagram.com/loistrueblue/

This episode is sponsored by the Charcoal Book Club, a monthly subscription service for photobook enthusiasts. Working with the most respected names in contemporary photography, Charcoal selects and delivers essential photobooks to a worldwide community of collectors. Each month, members receive a signed, first-edition monograph and an exclusive print to add to their collections. www.charcoalbookclub.com

The New York-based photographer Lois Conner has been travelling the world with 7x17” banquet camera nearly half a century. Through the elongated format of her work she has explored the landscape and the temper of our times; her art is both contemporary and, due to her vision, ‘a long view’ that captures the eternal in the moment, timeless. Conner’s work is that of the artist-artisan: every aspect of her art involves the hand made combined with demanding techniques of platinum printing. In recent years she has employed digital technologies to expand the format of her work, embracing landscapes from the natural to the man-made. Her annual trips to China since 1984 have allowed her to follow the transformation of the People’s Republic and to share her unique understanding of the country’s changing urban and rural mien, as well as the vistas that inspired the country’s unique culture.

Conner has been based in New York City since 1971, where she worked for the United Nations until 1984. During that time she was awarded a Bachelor in Fine Arts (photography) from the Pratt Institute and a Master’s degree from Yale University. Conner has also taught photography since, including over a decade as professor of photography at Yale University.