Women Photographers International Archive & Pérez Art Museum Miami Present “How Photography Teaches Us to Live Now”
Women Photographers International Archive (WOPHA), in partnership with Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), announces today highlights of the 2024 WOPHA Congress—a groundbreaking photography conference, exhibition series, and creative convening taking place across South Florida. The second edition of the Congress, titled “How Photography Teaches Us to Live Now,” presents the indelible contribution of women and non-binary photographers in contemporary art, explores the diverse ways we engage with photography in daily life, how we interpret those images, and how we can pioneer new approaches to foster photography education.
Building upon the inclusive practices in photography, research, and cultural production explored in its inaugural edition—which featured dozens of speakers and presenters, hundreds of artists and participants, and millions of global media impressions—this year’s Congress seeks to disrupt the teacher-student hierarchy with a participatory learning environment including photowalks, group portfolio review sessions, exhibitions, workshops, fireside chats, and panel discussions. Artists, educators, worldwide organizations, and photography enthusiasts will join WOPHA and its partners at sites across South Florida, including PAMM, Norton Museum of Art, HistoryMiami Museum, Miami-Dade Public Library System (Main Library), Miami International Airport, Girls’ Club, and many more, with select modules available virtually as well. The events are free and open to all.
The four-day creative gathering is conceptualized by WOPHA Founder and Director, Latinx art historian, and curator Aldeide Delgado. “Despite the fact that 75% of photography students around the world are women, there remains a glaring absence of academic programs specifically addressing the history of women in photography,” says Delgado. “The 2024 WOPHA Congress confronts this disparity and initiates discussions about women, photography, and pedagogy as a foundational step towards the establishment of a dedicated educational institution for the study of photographic practices, criticism, and historiography. We are also responding to the crisis in photography education demonstrated by enrollment drops over the last several years and a renewed interest in alternative and experimental teaching methods.”
“We are delighted to be partnering once again with Women Photographers International Archive for the second edition of the WOPHA Congress,” said PAMM Director Franklin Sirmans. “Together at Pérez Art Museum Miami, along with South Florida as a whole, we look forward to highlighting and celebrating the momentous contributions of women artists and photographers.”
Over thirty internationally recognized scholars and artists from around the world will participate in the four-day event, including Andrea Jösch Krotki, Director of Escuela de Arte at Universidad Diego Portales; Susan Meiselas, documentary photographer and President of the Magnum Foundation; Carmen Winant, writer and visual artist; Carol Damian, Professor Emeritus of Art History at Florida International University; Leigh Raiford, Professor of African American Studies at the University of California at Berkeley; Muriel Hasbun, artist and educator; Roshini Kempadoo, photographer, media artist, and scholar; Hiền Hoàng, interdisciplinary artist, and many others.
Among the many topics discussed are the role of collaboration in photography and archival practices, the relevance of the Caribbean in photography history, and current photographic debates around materiality, ecology, and climate change.
While the Congress will advance WOPHA’s wider global mission, it also aims to highlight South Florida’s emergence as a major center for contemporary photography, fueled by its dynamic cultural landscape, diverse population, and strategic geographic location. The 2024 WOPHA Congress contributes to South Florida’s ongoing artistic renaissance and its growing reputation as a global destination for the arts by establishing the region as an international center and meeting place for modern and contemporary photography and critical conversations around the role of women in photography.
Another highlight of this year’s Congress is the launch of theWOPHA Institute—the first dedicated institution that offers conferences, educational courses, and experimental workshops led by renowned experts in the field of photography to establish an academic program that challenges patriarchal norms and amplifies the voices of women and non-binary photographers.
Partnerships with leading South Florida-based and international arts and photography organizations including PAMM’s Caribbean Cultural Institute, Green Space Miami, El Espacio 23, The Betsy Hotel, Girls’ Club, Norton Museum of Art, Miami International Airport, Contemporary And, and Rencontres Photographiques de Guyana are expanding WOPHA’s local and global footprint. These partners will facilitate a vibrant and collaborative program of photography exhibitions, artist residencies, and studio visits as part of the 2024 Congress.
Additionally, please mark your calendars for our2024 WOPHA Congress Media and Partner Summer Preview, where we’ll be unveiling themes and discussions in advance of the 2024 WOPHA Congress. The event will take place from11:00am to1:00 pmonJune 26thatThe Betsy Hotel in Miami Beach. A formal invitation for this summer’s event will follow.
The 2024 WOPHA Congress is co-presented by Women Photographers International Archive (WOPHA) and Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), and organized by the WOPHA team: Aldeide Delgado, Francisco Maso, Co-Founder and Creative Director, and Amanda Bradley, Associate Curator of Programming.
About WOPHA
Women Photographers International Archive (WOPHA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded to research, promote, support, and educate on the contributions of women and non-binary photographers to modern and contemporary art in order to rewrite the artistic canon and provoke social change. WOPHA fosters a more diverse and equitable world by providing a permanent archive for future generations that preserves, documents, and promotes women photographers’ work while being a driving force for innovative thinking and discussion about the role of women in photographic arts.