Vacation

Vacation by Judith Black. First edition (2021). First impression. Large format hardback in new condition. No markings. This is a brand new book. Any questions please get in touch.

About Vacation

In 1986, the American artist Judith Black was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship with the intention of documenting a cross-country road trip with her four children. Unlike Robert Frank’s iconic Guggenheim-funded road trip 30 years earlier, Black’s mission was much more intimate. Rather than documenting America, her intention was to photograph her children, friends, and family as she traversed the country. Her itinerary included stops in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and various sights along the way. During the trip, Black visited her aunt at the Michigan cabin, where as a child Black and her family went each August to avoid the brutal summer heat of her hometown Springfield, Illinois. Ironically, it was there at the age of seven that Black purchased her first Brownie camera, while staying with her grandmother. After returning to Massachusetts, Black continued photographing family and friends during vacations, recording various celebrations, birthdays, reunions, and births. “Sweet memories and histories embedded in each photograph.” - Judith Black

Artist Statement

“I quickly realized that I was not going to be able to roam the streets to make photographs. I had limited time between working at MIT as an assistant, attending classes, and being a mother. Our apartment was dark, but it became my studio.” Known for her large-format photographs using Polaroid Type 55 black and white film documenting the domestic interior and exterior, Judith Black has been a practicing photographer since 1979, when she entered the MIT photography program leading to a Master of Science in Visual Studies in 1981.

Related Links

More books by Judith Black here More books by STANLEY/BARKER here.