Submitted by Bob Bass for the BCA Photo Group
Photography curator Barbara Hitchcock will be the featured speaker at the Bedford Center for the Arts Photo Group’s meeting from 7 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, January 6, at the Old Town Hall, 16 South Road.
Hitchcock will present the fascinating story of the Polaroid Corporation’s collection of photographs by famous master photographers who used the Company’s patented instant technology developed by its founder Edwin Land. Hitchcock was the director of cultural affairs at Polaroid and became the curator and caretaker of the Polaroid collection up until the time the Company was dissolved in 2009.
Guests are welcome. For more information, see www.bcaphoto.org or contact Bob Bass at [email protected] or 781-275-5230.
Edwin Land was interested in having his technology demonstrated as important for serious photography by some of the masters of the trade. He invited Ansel Adams to become a consultant and to use the Polaroid technology in his work. Adams later reached out to other famous photographers to serve as consultant artists. Those involved included Paul Caponigro, Marie Cosidas, Phillipe Halsman, Bert Ster, Arnold Newman, Yousuf Karsh and many others. A collection of thousands of photographs became known as the Polaroid Collection. According to Hitchcock, “the Polaroid Collection stands as a shining example of the quality and diversity of images in art—and industry—throughout the world”.
Hitchcock joined Polaroid Corporation in the 1970s in a research and development capacity. An interest in photography, acquired while living in southern Japan, brought her to Polaroid to test market-bound products and systems. In 1978, Hitchcock joined Polaroid’s international division’s publicity department where she coordinated all the photographic requirements of the subsidiary publicity departments. Appearing as a Polaroid spokesperson on national and international television/radio broadcasts, she promoted new Polaroid films and hardware. In 1982, she became responsible for development and execution of Polaroid’s cultural activities, including acquiring fine art photographs for the Collection, managing the traveling exhibitions, and curating many exhibitions. She has also edited and produced books and exhibition catalogues about the Collection and is author of essays on photography for a number of publications. She received a BA in English from Skidmore College, a PDM certificate from Simmons Graduate School of Management, and honors in business administration and journalism from Boston College. She has been a board member of the Griffin Museum, a Commissioner of the Bedford Historic District Commission, and is currently serving as a member of the Bedford Center for the Arts Board of Directors.
About the BCA Photo Group
The Photo Group, a program of the Bedford Center for the Arts, is comprised of about 45 photographers from Bedford and other communities in eastern Massachusetts who gather twice monthly to learn more about the artistic and technical principles of digital photography. The meetings are held on the first and third Tuesdays in each month from 7-9 pm in the BCA space on the ground floor of Old Town Hall, 16 South Road, Bedford.
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