Joan Lyons facts for kids
Joan Lyons (born in 1937) is an American artist. She is well-known for her amazing work with cameras, making prints, and creating unique art books. She also helped start the Visual Studies Workshop Press in Rochester, New York.
Early Life and Education
Joan Lyons was born in New York, New York.
She studied art at Alfred University in New York, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree in 1957. Later, she earned a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree from SUNY Buffalo, New York, in 1973. These degrees mean she completed advanced studies in art.
Her Artistic Journey
In 1971, Joan Lyons helped create the VSW Press. This is a special publishing house that is part of the Visual Studies Workshop in Rochester. It focuses on books about photography and art.
Joan Lyons is known for being a very brave and creative artist. She loves to try new ways of making images, especially using older and newer technologies from the 1960s to the 1980s. She often lets unexpected things happen in her art, seeing them as chances to discover something new.
Her art often starts with the idea that everyday things and people around us become special because of how we interact with them. For example, she might photograph simple objects like chairs, plants, or an old apron. Through her art, these ordinary items become important and meaningful.
From the 1960s to the 1980s, Joan Lyons explored personal experiences and feelings in her art, especially from a woman's point of view. She continues to explore how photography and images work in Western culture.
Her art has been shown in many special exhibitions. In 2007, there was a show at the Rochester Contemporary Art Center. In 2018, her work was shown at the Steven Kasher Gallery in New York and Paris. This gallery said that Joan Lyons's work bravely mixes personal experiences with ideas about women's roles. Her art is very personal and makes you think.
In the 1950s, many artists were taught that art should be big, abstract, and not about personal feelings. Joan Lyons realized that her art had to be connected to her own life as a woman. Her unique stories and ideas helped her create new ways of making art.
Where Her Art Is Kept
Joan Lyons's artwork is part of many important art collections. You can find her pieces at:
- The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
- The Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago
- The Museum of Modern Art in New York
- The Minneapolis Institute of Art
- The National Gallery of Canada
- The National Museum of Women in the Arts
The Joan Lyons Independent Press Archive is a collection of her work related to independent publishing. It is located at the Visual Studies Workshop in Rochester, New York.
