This touring exhibition emerges from an ongoing democratic archive that is a celebration of ordinary and extraordinary histories, viewed from the perspective of private individuals and families. From the earliest photographs taken in the 1850s to the advent of the digital era in the early 1990s, these images reveal details about how people lived, worked, and gathered that official historical records may have overlooked.
Taken as a whole, this collection of more than eighty photographs creates a rich tapestry of images that tells of the triumphs and turmoils in the life of a nation. From quotidian scenes of pastoral picnics, holiday celebrations, and parlor portraits to snapshots documenting the impact of the Troubles in the North; from joyful wedding parties to solemn funerary processions; from the documentation of Irish historical sites by the world-reknowned Shackleton family to the unheralded efforts of an anonymous family photographer; A Photo Album of Ireland presents the people’s account of history that is at once personal and powerful.
The exhibition will present an extensive range of digitized images from early Ambrotype portraits and informal Box Brownie images through to 35mm documentary photographs and Polaroid images. The overall exhibition design concept will emulate that of a family photo album, with images of various sizes installed salon style.
This exhibition was organized with support from Culture Ireland’s International Culture Programme to celebrate Ireland 2016.
The show is touring November 2016 through October 2021. The dates above reflect seven-week exhibition periods. Dates are subject to change; please contact MoreArt@maaa.org or (800) 473-3872 x208/209 for current availability.
Image left: from the Flynn Family // Boston Album
