Zoe Strauss: Ten Years

January 14 - April 22, 2012

Philadelphia Museum of Art

26th Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway

I remember DJ Cosmo Baker mentioning about six months ago that his sister would be exhibiting at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. I thought that was really cool considering it’s not every day that artists you know exhibit at a place like the Philadelphia Museum of Art. But, this isn’t just any artist either. Photographer Zoe Strauss, who is the founder of Philadelphia Public Art Project, Whitney Biennial participant and published photographer, will be exhibiting 150 of her compelling pieces of photography that have been taken over the past decade. The exhibit will also include slideshows showinging more of her imagery.

Zoe says that her ambition is “to create an epic narrative that reflects the beauty and struggle of everyday life.” And that she does. From 2001-2010, she would host exhibits under the abandoned urban zone under I-95. She sold and signed her work for $5.  Her portraits are gritty and real, and they depict the struggles of everyday people and places in our city.

To accompany the exhibit, she is also displaying her work on billboards across the city to further tell her story and to extend the exhibit beyond the Museum. She says, “The billboards will exhibit photos without text, branding or logos. They effectively eliminate 53 spaces available for commercial advertising.”

I’m personally excited to see the progress and journey of another fellow artist who has had great success with her craft. I can’t wait to see the exhibit and experience our city through her eyes. Hopefully you’ll find some time to check it out too!

Insider Tip: Don’t forget to look out for her work on billboards across the city. You can find the originals and the accompanying billboard here - Billboards.