From Her To Eternity: The Women Who Photograph Music
FromHerToEternity: The Women Who Photograph Music
Exhibition Dates
July 7 – September 18, 2023
Location
Columbia College Chicago’s Student Center: 754 S Wabash Avenue (8th Street Side)
Curated by
Courtney Love Cobain and Julie Panebianco
Exhibit Designer
Gray Beyer
About The Exhibition
From Her To Eternity: The Women Who Photograph Music is a public art installation on Columbia College’s Wabash Arts Corridor. This exhibition, presented by the ARChive for Contemporary Music, is a comprehensive archival project dedicated to honoring & preserving women's contribution to music and culture. From Her To Eternity, The Women Who Photograph Music features the work of female music photographers spanning genres and decades, from album covers to portraits, from live shots to candid shots. With images of artists like Bjork, Aretha Franklin, U2, Buddy Guy, Salt-n-Pepa, Jane’s Addiction, Billie Eilish, Chance The Rapper, Courtney Barnett, and so many more, the installation is a who’s who of the artists and musicians that have created the mythology and iconography of popular music.
“We created this exhibition as a tribute to the women behind the camera, to honor those who have taken iconic photographs and whose names should be as recognizable as what we have been privileged to see from their lens. We named the project FromHerToEternity and dedicated it to the memory of Anita Lane, member of the Birthday Party and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Anita co-wrote the song ‘From Her to Eternity’ that the band used as a name for their first record. We got her family’s and Nick's blessing to use this evocative title after she died on April 27, 2021 at the age of 61.”
-Courtney Love and Julie Panebianco
From Her To Eternity: The Women Who Photograph Music features work by:
Adrien Broom, Anna Gabriel, Carinthia West, Catherine McGann, Christie Goodwin, Christina Birrer, Christy Bush, Coen Rees, Dana Distortion, Destiny Mata, Donna Santisi, Ebet Roberts, Ellen von Unwerth, Enid Farber, Jackie Lee Young, Janette Beckman, Jasmine Hirst, Jora Frantzis, Katarina Benzova, Kate Garner, Kate Simon, Kelsey Bennett, Laura Levine, Leni Sinclair, Les Guzman, Linda McCartney, Lisa Leone, Marina Chavez, Mary Ellen Matthews, Melissa Auf der Maur, Morgan Smith, Nancy Lee Andrews, Naomi Petersen, Neelam Khan Vela, Pamela Springsteen, Patricia O'Driscoll, Pooneh Ghana, Roberta Bayley, Ruth Baza, Sarah J & Sally A Edwards, Scarlet Page, Sheila Rock, Silken Weinberg, Susie J Horgan, The Tyler Twins, Vivianne Wang, Zoe Rain
More information about the exhibition and the artists in it can be found here
About This Project
The project is spearheaded by ARChive for Contemporary Music board members, Courtney Love and creative director Julie Panebianco, along with Joe Shanahan of the Metro/Smartbar, and is presented in conjunction with Columbia College and the Museum of Contemporary Photography, and the Wabash Arts Corridor. Special thanks to Jen Appel, Stephanie Conaway, Kelly DeWald, Meg Duguid, Natasha Egan, Mark Porter, Shayni Rae, Genna Saccomonto, Carlos Lopez, Robert Ontiveros, Mark Luncsford, and Best Imaging for their support and labor in seeing this iteration of From HerToEternity: The Women Who Photograph Music to fruition.
About The ARChive Of Contemporary Music:
Founded in 1985 by B. George. The ARChive of Contemporary Music (ARC) is the first and only major independent institution to collect, preserve, document, systematize and digitize all formats and genres of contemporary popular music. ARC’s mission is to create the most complete collection of recorded music to inspire, entertain, and educate many generations to come. ARC currently houses over three million recordings, the largest collection of popular music in America, including 20,000 recordings in The Keith Richards’ Blues Collection, endowed by Mr. Richards for more than 18 years. ARC has cataloged, digitized, and preserved more recordings than any other public or private college, library or archive in the U.S. ARC is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational corporation. The governing entity is the Board of Trustees and a Board of Advisors is comprised of distinguished entertainment industry members who recognize the importance of music preservation
About Metro/Smartbar:
For the past 40 years and counting, Metro and smartbar have contributed to the shaping of Chicago’s music community from its post on North Clark Street. In July of 1982, the space now known as Metro opened its doors and hosted R.E.M for the first show on the now legendary stage, inaugurating a legacy that has prevailed for over four decades. Metro has played host to up and coming musicians as well as legends including Chance the Rapper, Foo Fighters, Jack White, Jamila Woods, Liz Phair, Lizzo, Metallica, Pearl Jam, Shirley Manson, Smashing Pumpkins, St. Vincent, and many more.
Smartbar’s small and dedicated staff began etching their imprint on every floor of the building one party at a time, hosting top Chicago DJs like The Blessed Madonna, Derrick Carter, Eris Drew, Frankie Knuckles, and Superjane, just to name a few. Smartbar quickly became a Chicago Institution with its subterranean dance floor and modeling after similar Chicago legendary clubs like The Warehouse and The Power Plant. Forty years later, smartbar continues to be a mecca for electronic music while continuing its dedication to promoting house and techno music. With a heavy focus on community development, smartbar still hosts some of the best residencies and offerings, as well as the most forward-thinking artists from around the globe. Today, Metro and smartbar remain as one of the few independently run venues in the world.
About the Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College Chicago
The Museum of Contemporary Photography (MoCP) is a world premier college art museum dedicated to photography. As an international hub, the Museum generates ideas and provokes dialogue among students, artists and diverse communities through groundbreaking exhibitions and programming. Its mission is to cultivate a deeper understanding of the artistic, cultural and political roles of photography in the world today. Founded in 1976 by Columbia College Chicago as the successor to the Chicago Center for Contemporary Photography, the Museum of Contemporary Photography began collecting in the early 1980s and has since grown its collection to include over 16,800 objects by 1,800 artists. The MoCP is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.
About The Wabash Arts Corridor
The Wabash Arts Corridor (WAC) is Chicago’s living urban canvas in the heart of the South Loop neighborhood. Founded by Columbia College Chicago in 2013, WAC has grown to be one of the most expansive, diverse, and accessible public art programs in the country. This community driven project weaves the visual, performing and media arts into daily life, immersing residents and visitors into artist-reclaimed public spaces that transform the urban experience.