Women of the Blues: A Coast to Coast Collection
Documenting the past and celebrating the future
100 photos by over 20 photographers commemorating
100 years of Women recording and performing the Blues
Women of the Blues, a photography collection curated by Lynn Orman Weiss is a sampling of blues women of all ages and backgrounds who represent a broad spectrum of blues and who have been captured by photographers from around the world.
The Collection showcases a collection of powerful women doing what they do best… performing the Blues. From poignant and demure to fierce and powerful, the photographers captured these powerful images showcasing the passion for the music both in front of the lens and behind it. Lynn Orman Weiss has been collecting photographs from photographers as she attends the various Blues e events and festivals throughout the world each year.
Women of the Blues Foundation Inc. presents
‘Women Of The Blues – A Coast To Coast Collection’
The Collection features over 100+ photographs and art of ‘Women of the Blues’ performing, in portrait and screaming the blues. The curated collection is a tribute to Alligator recording artist, Queen of the Blues, Koko Taylor and supports the Koko Taylor Celebrity Aid Foundation and the Sisters of Royalty among other benefactors. Twenty photographers from around the world share their very poignant and powerful images of these extraordinary women, photographed from the stage at the Chicago Blues Festival to the Maui Sugar Mill in Los Angeles, from the Blues Cruise on the Caribbean to festivals on the East Coast.
The Collection takes you behind the lens that captured the images of superstars like Mavis Staples and Irma Thomas to beloved West Coast artist Candye Kane and Sherry Jackson Pruitt. Other featured artists include Koko Taylor Award recipient Ruthie Foster, Chicago’s Southern soul blues diva Nellie ‘Tiger’ Travis, the legendary Holle Thee Maxwell, international touring blues singer Deitra Farr, and rising star the newly crowned Queen of the Blues, Shemekia Copeland, daughter of Johnny Copeland, and Tomiko Dixon, granddaughter of Willie Dixon, and many more beautiful images of women who sing and play the blues.
The world premiere of ‘Women of the Blues – A Coast To Coast Collection’ was first presented by Orman Music And Media Group at Firecat Projects in Chicago, May 27, 2016 and opened June 8th in conjunction with the Chicago Blues Festival. The exhibit was on display October 3rd through December 12, 2016 at The University of Chicago Medical Center. The ‘Women Of The Blues – A Coast To Coast Collection’ was on display at the National Blues Museum in St. Louis January 7th through March 31st, 2017. “Women of the Blues: A Coast To Coast Collection” made a return appearance to the University of Chicago Medical Center, in celebration of World Music Festival in September and the first Logan Center Blues Festival in October. A portion of of full exhibit was back on display at the HydePark Campus. The show was located in the skybridge between Mitchell Hospital and DCAM.
The touring exhibit is available for showings at museums, hospitals, schools and art galleries interested in educating the public about the blues divas both present and past, their musical journey and contributions to American Roots Music and the art of unique visions of seasoned photographers from across the country and around the world, who focus on blues music and those talented performers who inspire them.
Please contact Lynn Orman Weiss, Women of the Blues to arrange a showing in a city near you.
Learn more about THE EXHIBIT.
Learn more about THE PHOTOGRAPHERS.
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