No. 9 A Reflection of Marry Ellen Mark: Girlhood, Digital Exhibition at the National Museum of Women Artists
Mary Ellen Mark’s:Girlhood, housed online at the National Museum of Women Artists website, is a gifted collection of more than 160 photographers by Mark from 1965 to 2014 documenting girlhood at its various stages across the globe. The online exhibition presented by Theresa Lozano Long included 21 captures movements of the lives and stories of girls and women. The unique style of which Mark represents the subjects in the photos demonstrates the candid nature of the work. It is not planned nor orchestrated but captured purely by chance. In this state of chance Mark creates a universally relatable and familiar sensation for the viewers. There is no limit to race in these images and girlhood is an experience that is familiar but that holds place for unique experiences. No single life is the exact same, but yet seeing where the overlap lies is part of the human experience. The curation of images paired with a short description of some of the images and parts of Mark's Artistic journey is on par for an online exhibition. There is the question of how the works would communicate with each other if we were not directed to slide or scroll between the pre-organized set, but that is not the case here. To reflect on the exhibition as it was designed is to watch a variety of girls, and women, be unabashedly themselves and share that with us. Long curated this exhibition to represent, and not appropriate the experience of girlhood. What is the most representative image of girlhood is “Women and Children in a Doorway, Mexico, 1965”. Here we see potentially multiple generations of girlhood in a single photo. This image reflects the many stages of girlhood and the transition into womanhood. Adolescent grows into adulthood through life experiences, lessons learned and growth. Growth mentally and physically. The challenges that we face in those times of growth and change. The shift in identity from girl to woman and from daughter to mother. It is not the right or wrong choice to step into that direction of life to become a mother, but it is a path that many have taken. The tone of the exhibition is that of growth, reflection, nostalgia and whimsey. A very compelling and comforting representation of what girlhood is across the globe.