Interview by Emily Hessney Lynch.

Published August 30, 2018.

Where are you originally from?

I moved a lot when I was young. I lived in both Tennessee and Louisiana. For undergrad, I attended NYU and studied Art History and Studio Art. For grad school, I attended Princeton and got my PhD in Art History. I focused on photography for my dissertation.

How did you end up in Rochester at this time in your life?

The Director of the George Eastman Museum is the person who interested me in the Curator in Charge, Department of Photography position here and in Rochester in general. It was irresistible. The collection here is among the best in the world, and it’s the oldest museum dedicated to photography exclusively. I’m so thrilled to be able to bring it to life and add to it.

What is your favorite part of living in Rochester?

I live in and love the Park Ave area. It’s an easy place to live. The neighborhood gives me the illusion of a very urban environment, without the hassles. I can walk to work and dinner, and drive to Wegmans when I need groceries.

What are some of your favorite/secret Rochester spots? 

High Falls--I always take visitors there. It blows my mind that there’s a waterfall downtown. I like the historic streets in that area too. I’m fascinated with the history of cities and what brought people there. High Falls reminds me of the industry that sparked the growth of Rochester. When I moved here, I knew of Eastman and Kodak, of course, but I wasn’t aware of the connections to Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony.

If you had $100 to spend, what would you go do in Rochester? 

I’d catch a concert at the Eastman Theatre. I think that’s a huge asset of living here. I’d also go on an Erie Canal boat ride. Then I’d eat somewhere good, like Shiki. I love the sushi there.

What is your personal coping mechanism for cold/gray weather? 

I still haven’t figured it out. I’ve never liked winter, but I do think Rochester has a reputation for winter that’s worse than our winters actually are. Milwaukee was worse. I tend to stay inside, read books, and play video games.

What is your favorite Rochester memory? 

When I started my current role at GEM, I had come from museum jobs where I was the only photography person on staff. Sometimes, you encounter mysteries in photographs, and at my past jobs, there was no one for me to consult with on those situations. Here at GEM, I found a mystery and everyone weighed in! It’s fantastic to have other photo nerds to talk to. It’s been really nice to be in a place with people with a shared interest in something I’ve been devoted to and have been passionate about for my whole career.

What makes Rochester unique? 

The concentration of people interested in photography--amateurs, professionals, RIT students, technical folks, practicing photographers, the U of R Visual & Cultural Studies program striving to put everything in an academic context, plus GEM and its collection. A unique variety of things can happen--we are very rich in photography offerings and information.

What do you think could be improved about Rochester? 

Public transit. And finding ways to be more conscious of diversity. We’re compartmentalized. We all just need to have more interaction with people who aren’t like you.

If Rochester was a season, what would it be? 

It would be fall or spring. We’re a time of transition. The sense of what’s coming is very exciting. There are always opportunities to be discovered or taken advantage of. We feel poised and ready for renewal.

What do you do as a curator at the Eastman Museum? What does a day in the life look like? 

There are three prongs to my work: our collection, our exhibitions, and outreach and education. With our collection--I continually develop it, do research, and try to understand it. There’s acquisitions, display, and interpretation. With exhibitions, I’m organizing displays and on-loan exhibitions, where we borrow pieces from elsewhere. I do lots of research for those, and sometimes that crystallizes into something that gets published. And finally, with the outreach and education piece, we try to engage people, saying “there’s something really cool here. Let me share it with you.” I work with both the general public and our closest supporters, giving talks and tours and putting on public programs. It’s different every day.

Are you a photographer yoruself? 

I’m not. My father was an amateur photographer. He developed photos in the bathroom of our house, and that’s where I caught the bug. I know how to do it, but I find that I’m better at thinking critically and interpreting photography than making photos myself.

Where in Rochester do you go to get inspired?

I take a walk around my neighborhood. We have all these mature trees, old houses in different styles, and people going about their daily lives. That inspires me and helps me clear my head.

What are some of the challenges of being a curator in an era when everyone's a photographer?

Most people have made a photo at some point in their lives. Explaining and understanding the difference between someone who spends lots of time thinking about and making images, learning about the medium and where they fit in, and all that deliberate thinking--that’s different than snapshots you take and enjoy looking at.

There’s been this explosion of imagery, and there’s a certain challenge to that. Slowing down to see a physical object in real time, in a physical space gives you insight into the image. It’s a very different experience than looking at a screen. It becomes harder to communicate and persuade people. We have to ask, do you feel different experiencing it this way?

What exhibitions are coming up that Rochesterians can look forward to?

I love David Levinthal: War, Myth, Desire--that exhibition is up through January 1. This exhibit critiques pop culture. Gail Albert Halaban: Out My Window is open now as well. It’s a series of images looking from one neighbor’s window into another. It shows photography as a social experience that’s participatory, and is focused on connecting neighbors and bringing them together.

Coming in January is an exhibit on Nathan Lyons called In Pursuit of Magic. He was a curator at the Eastman Museum, founder of the Visual Studies Workshop, and a teacher/lecturer on photography. He was a major figure in the field as well as a Rochester resident for most of his life. The last 10 years of his life’s work doesn’t match the rest--you’ll see prints in color for the first time. It’s surprising and unexpected. He was so important to both Rochester and the broader photography community. I’m excited to put his work on the walls and pay tribute to him.