Reach for the Moon: Curating a History of Photography Rotation

This post is written by Delaney Duvall Linehan, a student in the Photographic Preservation and Collection Management master’s program.

Over the past two years I have had the privilege of attending the Photographic Preservation and Collection’s Management Master’s Program established by the University of Rochester and George Eastman Museum. Through this program, my classmates and I have had the opportunity to gain knowledge of museum operations and practices while gaining hands-on experience in the field.

This past year, we were given the exciting opportunity to participate in developing and producing the newest rotation in the History of Photography Gallery. This exhibition of work from the museum’s permanent collection is centered on the 50th anniversary of the moon landing and explores the moon’s relationship to photography through examples of scientific investigation and artistic expression.

Lead by head curator Lisa Hostetler we were responsible for searching the museum collection for suitable works, and then narrowing that group to a selection of roughly 30 pieces. Each of us was assigned 5–6 of these works to thoroughly research and write wall text.

One of the highlights of this experience for me came during this stage of development. I was struggling with my research for the piece Four Boys on the Moon, by Linda Connor, and Lisa suggested that I contact the artist directly. It was surprisingly easy to get in touch with Connor, who proposed that we talk over the phone. I was extremely nervous, as I had never spoken to a well-established artist about their work before, and I wanted to be sure I represented her work as accurately as possible. Luckily my anxiety was unfounded, and Linda was very easy to talk to.

The conversation revealed much about the work that was previously unknown to me, such as Connor’s nostalgic obsession with discarded family photos (a fixation that she attributes to being adopted, and lacking photos of her own biological family.) She also discussed her love of the moon and the stars and the curious connection it gave her to fellow photographer, Michael Bishop. Coincidentally a piece by Michael Bishop is also in the exhibit, titled Linda Making Snow Angel on Moon. It turned out that Linda Connor was in fact the “Linda” in the snow, something I was unlikely to have discovered without our discussion.

Not only did speaking to Connor help me write about the piece, but also gave me a deeper personal connection to the show, after having such a positive interaction with one of the photographers. I am thankful for the opportunity to participate so fully in a George Eastman Museum exhibition, and look forward to continuing these experiences throughout my career.