Susan Meiselas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Susan Meiselas
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Meiselas in 2023
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| Born | June 21, 1948 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Sarah Lawrence College Harvard University |
| Occupation | Photographer |
| Known for | photos of Sandinista National Liberation Front insurgents in the Nicaragua Revolution in the 1970s |
Susan Meiselas (born June 21, 1948) is an American photographer who takes pictures of real-life events. She is known for her powerful documentary photography. She joined Magnum Photos, a famous group of photographers, in 1976 and is now its President.
Susan Meiselas is especially known for her photos from the 1970s. These pictures show the conflict in Nicaragua and scenes from American carnivals. She has published several books of her own photographs. Her work has appeared in major newspapers and magazines like The New York Times and Time. She has also received many important awards for her photography.
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Early Life and Education
Susan Meiselas was born on June 21, 1948, in Baltimore, Maryland. She grew up and went to school in Woodmere, New York. She studied at Sarah Lawrence College, earning her first degree in 1970. Later, she earned a Master of Arts degree in visual education from Harvard University. She also received special honorary degrees from the Parsons School and The Art Institute of Boston.
Photography Career Highlights
After finishing her studies at Harvard University, Susan Meiselas started her career in different ways. From 1972 to 1974, she worked for New York City public schools. She helped teachers and students in the Bronx learn about photography. She even created photography lessons for kids in grades 4 to 6.
In the mid-1970s, Meiselas began a project called Prince Street Girls. This series of photos showed young girls growing up in Little Italy, a neighborhood in New York City. She also helped set up photography programs in schools in South Carolina and Mississippi.
Documenting the Nicaraguan Revolution
In the late 1970s, Susan Meiselas traveled to Nicaragua. She documented the uprising and human rights issues in Latin America. One of her most famous photos from this time is Molotov Man. This picture shows a man about to throw a homemade bomb. It became a powerful symbol of the Sandinista revolution in Nicaragua.
Her photos of the Nicaraguan Revolution have even been used in textbooks there. In 1991, she made a film called Pictures from a Revolution. In the film, she returned to the places she photographed. She talked with the people she had photographed ten years earlier. In 2004, Meiselas went back to Nicaragua again. She put up large copies of her photos in the exact spots where they were taken. This project was called "Reframing History."
Other Important Projects
In 1981, Meiselas visited a village in El Salvador that had been destroyed by government forces. She took pictures of the El Mozote massacre, working with other journalists.
Starting in 1992, she used money from the MacArthur Foundation to create a photo history of Kurdistan. This project resulted in a book called Kurdistan: In the Shadow of History and a website.
In 2015 and 2016, Meiselas worked on a project about women in shelters in England. This project was done with a local arts group. It led to a book called A Room of Their Own (2017).
Films by Susan Meiselas
Susan Meiselas has also been involved in making films:
- Living at Risk: The Story of a Nicaraguan Family (1986) – She helped direct this film.
- Pictures from a Revolution (1991) – She co-directed this film.
- Roses in December (1982) – This film features her photos of a gravesite.
Awards and Recognition
Susan Meiselas has received many important awards for her work:
- 1978: Robert Capa Gold Medal for her brave reporting in Nicaragua.
- 1982: Photojournalist of the Year by the American Society of Media Photographers.
- 1992: MacArthur Fellowship, a special award for talented individuals.
- 1994: Maria Moors Cabot Prize for her coverage of Latin America.
- 1994: Hasselblad Award, a major photography prize.
- 2006: Royal Photographic Society's Centenary Medal.
- 2019: Winner of the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize.
Collections of Her Work
Susan Meiselas's photographs are kept in many important museums and collections around the world, including:
- Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois
- Fogg Museum, Harvard University, Massachusetts
- George Eastman House, New York
- Museum of Modern Art, New York
- San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, California
- Whitney Museum of American Art, New York City
Exhibitions
Susan Meiselas's work has been shown in many exhibitions. Some notable ones include:
- Susan Meiselas. Mediations, a large show of her work in Barcelona (2017) and Paris (2018).
- Close Enough: New Perspectives from 12 Women Photographers of Magnum, at the International Center of Photography in New York (2022-2023).
See also
In Spanish: Susan Meiselas para niños
