Background
Ann Parker was born on March 6, 1934, in London, United Kingdom. She is a daughter of Russell Johnston Parker and Mildred Grace (Best) Parker.
2 College St, Providence, RI 02903, United States
During the period from 1952 till 1954, Ann attended Rhode Island School of Design.
New Haven, Connecticut 06520, United States
Neal studied at Yale University, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1956.
72 5th Ave, New York, NY 10011, United States
During the period from 1961 till 1962, Ann took classes with Lisette Model and Joseph Breitenbach at The New School in New York City.
(Studies by means of photographs, captions and text the el...)
Studies by means of photographs, captions and text the elaborately designed applique panels, that adorn the blouses of the Cuna Indian women of the San Blas Islands, examining their origins, their complex patterns and the matrilineal culture, in which they are produced.
https://www.amazon.com/Molas-Folk-Art-Cuna-Indians/dp/0517529114/?tag=2022091-20
1977
(This work contains striking portraits of Indians, dressed...)
This work contains striking portraits of Indians, dressed in richly ornamented clothing and posed in front of brightly painted backdrops. These portraits record the ongoing folk tradition of itinerant photography.
https://www.amazon.com/Los-ambulantes-itinerant-photographers-Guatemala/dp/0262160862/?tag=2022091-20
1982
(Since the seventh century, the Hajj, or Great Pilgrimage ...)
Since the seventh century, the Hajj, or Great Pilgrimage to Mecca, has been a lifelong goal of devout Muslims throughout the world. Egyptian pilgrims traditionally celebrate their sacred journey by commissioning a local artist to depict their religious odyssey on the walls of their homes. "Hajj Paintings" is the first visual record of the richness and variety of this naive art form.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/9774162595/?tag=2022091-20
1995
Ann Parker was born on March 6, 1934, in London, United Kingdom. She is a daughter of Russell Johnston Parker and Mildred Grace (Best) Parker.
During the period from 1952 till 1954, Ann attended Rhode Island School of Design. Later, she continued her education at Yale University, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1956.
Also, she studied privately under the guidance of Minor White in 1955, and took classes with Lisette Model and Joseph Breitenbach at The New School in New York City between 1961-1962.
It was through her time, spent with Minor White, that Parker came to use a 4×5 camera. White also instilled in her a commitment to black-and-white photography and darkroom work.
In 1956, Ann began a career of a freelance photographer and graphic artist. In 1979, she was appointed a vice-president of Thistle Hill Press at North Brookfield, Massachusetts.
In the 1970's, Ann made several trips to Guatemala with her husband, a writer and artist Avon Neal, where she pursued the decade-long project, that came to be known as "Los Ambulantes: The Itinerant Photographers of Guatemala". For this work, Avon wrote the story of the art and its cultural significance and Parker photographed the works of art, the surroundings and the people, who made it. Also, the couple's collaboration and common interest resulted in numerous photographs, magazine articles, contributing essays, talks and museum exhibitions.
In general, Ann and Avon produced six books together, that captured their love of specific folk art veins and gave its art makers and their work the widest public exposure. The subjects were notably varied: early New England gravestone carvings; the intricate fabric molas (a textile art form) made by the Cuna Indians of Panama’s San Blas Islands; Egyptian Hajj paintings, depicting the religious pilgrimage to Mecca and others.
Between 1983-1984, Ann was an artist-in-residence in Altos de Chavón, Dominican Republic. Also, in 1983, 1985 and 1986, she acted as a panel member of Fulbright Hays Committee for Photography, Film and Video.
During her lifetime, Ann took part in many exhibitions, held at different places, including Santa Fe Center for Photography in 1982; Focus Gallery, San Francisco, in 1983; Altos de Chavón, Dominican Republic, in 1983, 1984, 1986 and 1987; National Museum of Art, La Paz, Bolivia, in 1985; Princeton University Library, New Jersey, in 1986; Instituto Dominicano de Cultura Hispánica, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, in 1987; Maxwell Museum of Anthropology, Albuquerque, in 1988; Worcester Art Museum, Massachusetts, in 1993; Gallery of Graphic Arts, New York City, in 1994; Lumina Gallery, Taos, New Mexico, in 1995 and others.
(Studies by means of photographs, captions and text the el...)
1977(This work contains striking portraits of Indians, dressed...)
1982(Since the seventh century, the Hajj, or Great Pilgrimage ...)
1995(This work includes portraits of scarecrows in fields and ...)
1978(Photographs by Ann Parker.)
1969Portrait with Chickens, Momostenango
Choosing the Backgrounds, Barillas
Rope and Basket Vendors, San Marcos
Sisters Dressed for Annual Fair, Barillas
Framed Board Showing Photographer’s Samples
Seven Daughters, Santa Cruz del Quiché
Recently Married Couple, Barillas
Photographers’ Row at Annual Fair, Barillas
Photographer Directing Pose, Santa Cruz del Quiché
Juan Gonzalez
Quotations: "I am especially intrigued by the intensity with which Indians from highland villages react to being photographed. Their almost trancelike expressions, so reminiscent of the formal portraiture found on tintypes and daguerreotypes, clearly show, that for them, the camera still retains much of the powerful magic it had in its earliest years. In our society, where it is not uncommon for people to be photographed hundreds of times, the psychological impact of facing a camera is greatly diminished. Many of the people were typically appearing before a camera for the first and perhaps only time. The casual snapshot plays no part in their existence, and the rarity of coming before lens is reflected in the portraits."
Ann is a member of Friends of Photography nonprofit organization, Photographic Resource Center (Boston), Association for Gravestone Studies and American Antiquarian Society.
Ann married Avon Neal, a writer and artist, on October 31, 1964.