By Elin Spring and Suzanne Révy
We hope you enjoyed a lovely summer and, if you were in New England, some of our famed glory days! Now fall is upon us, ushering in more temperate climes and a spectacular palette of hues. Also the mid-term election season and a host of new photography exhibitions opening this month. Absorbing reflections on our times abound, and as usual, we have organized our selections geographically for your planning convenience. We add and update listings throughout the month, so please check back often!
BOSTON PROPER
“Young girl on a park bench, Boston Common” Constantine Manos, from the series The Bostonians, Boston Athenaeum Purchase; Howe Fund; December 16, 2020.
Boston Athenaeum (BA) – In 1974, Constantine Manos (1935-2025) was commissioned to create documentary photographs for the Where’s Boston? Bicentennial exhibition to take place in 1976. His dynamic black and white photographs offer glimpses of public gatherings and private moments—protests, parades, flea markets, diners, and games— from every corner of the city and its diverse cultures. To celebrate our 250th anniversary, the BA is presenting a Manos retrospective, Where’s Boston? 50 Years Later, that not only recalls the era of Boston’s Bicentennial, but asks viewers from the communities he photographed to come forward with their stories and perhaps even identification of the people in Manos’ photographs. Not only a trip down Memory Lane but a quest to connect the past to the present. On view in the Norma Jean Calderwood Gallery through December 15th 2026.
To read our review, go to: https://www.whatwillyouremember.com/constantine-manos-photography-show-wheres-boston-50-years-later-at-boston-athenaeum/
For more information, go to: https://bostonathenaeum.org/whats-on/exhibitions/50-years-later-wheres-boston/
“Atlanta, Georgia, 2018” by Alex Webb, courtesy of the artist, Robert Klein Gallery and Leica Gallery Boston.
Leica Gallery Boston – To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Leica’s Boston gallery and store, the group exhibition Community Garden reunites 13 photographers who have exhibited previously: Mathieu Bitton, Ismail Ferdous, Svet Jacqueline, Luvia Lazo, Vanessa Leroy, Constantine Manos, Mary Ellen Mark, Jennifer McClure, Phil Penman, Maggie Steber, Alex Webb (photo), Rebecca Norris Webb, and Eva Woolridge. The show also showcases 4 emerging artists: Mav Fernandez, Raphael Lehnen, Artemisia Luk, and AbdoulNasser Mika. In work created between 1961 – 2026 from across the globe, the images reflect ways that both natural and built environments become places of gathering, belonging and exchange. Commemorating Boston’s bountiful photographic community and sowing the seeds for ongoing creative energy, Community Garden will be on view through October 18th, 2026.
To read our review: https://www.whatwillyouremember.com/community-garden-group-photo-show-at-leica-gallery-boston/
For more information, go to: https://www.instagram.com/leicagalleryboston/
From the series From Shadows to Light: A Global Journey Through the Aftermath of Trafficking by Mathilde Simas, courtesy of the artist and Griffin Museum of Photography.
Griffin Museum at Lafayette City Center (LCC) – In her solo show, From Shadows to Light: A Global Journey Through the Aftermath of Trafficking, Matilde Simas’ empathic portraits of survivors of sex trafficking, forced labor, and forced marriage connect viewers to lives we rarely encounter. From Kenya and Uganda to the Philippines and the United States, Simas’ portraits challenge misconceptions about human trafficking, focussing on the courage, endurance and renewal of its survivors. On view through September 27th, 2026.
For more information, go to: https://griffinmuseum.org/show/matilde-simas-from-shadows-to-light-a-global-journey-through-the-aftermath-of-trafficking/
Panopticon Gallery – Tilted/Straight engages two distinctive interpretations of Boston’s built environment in a lively dialog between the images of Peter Vanderwarker and Fern L. Nesson. On view from September 10th – November 3rd, 2026, there will be an Opening Reception with the artists on Thursday, September 10th from 6:00 – 8:00 pm.
For more information, go to: https://www.panopticongallery.com/tilted-straight-fern-nesson-peter-vanderwarker
From the series Untold Fairytale by Mari Saxon, courtesy of the artist.
Copley Society of Art – Photographer and recent emigrant Mari Saxon constructs a fantasy world bridging traditional Russian fairytales and a new, uncharted life in Boston with her daughters in Untold Fairytale. Her alchemy joins myth, hope and fear in inventive self-portraits in this solo exhibition and accompanying introduction of “The Book of Tales,” on view from September 17th – October 17th, 2026. There will be an Opening Reception and book launch with the artist on Saturday, September 26th from 3:00 – 6:00pm.
For more information, go to: https://copleysociety.org/
SOWA – Boston’s South End Arts District
Installation view of Where Do I Go? by Rania Matar at the Project Space, courtesy of the artist, Robert Klein Gallery and SEA-DAR.
RKG x SEA-DAR: The Project Space – As unremitting attacks on Lebanon persist, Lebanese-American photographer Rania Matar’s solo exhibit Where Do I Go? rings timely and profound, nuanced and declarative. Her arresting, collaborative environmental portraits of young Lebanese women (facing circumstances similar to Matar’s during the Lebanese Civil War 50 years ago) embody remarkable grace and strength as they struggle to find a way forward. This new collaborative project space co-created by RKG and SEA-DAR presents Where Do I Go? as its inaugural exhibition, featuring an expanded selection of images from Matar’s book and recent exhibit at Leica Gallery Boston. Located at 580 Harrison Avenue, 4th Floor, the exhibit will be on view through October 3rd, 2026.
NOTE: There will be a reception with Robert Klein and Rania Matar on First Friday, September 4th from 5:30 – 7:30 pm.
NOTE: There will be a panel conversation with MFA curator Kristen Gresh and Rania Matar on Wednesday, September 16th at 6:00 pm.
To read our review of this work presented at Leica Gallery Boston in the spring, go to: https://www.whatwillyouremember.com/rania-matar-where-do-i-go-photo-exhibit-at-leica-gallery-boston-and-book-from-kaph/
For more information, go to: https://www.robertkleingallery.com/exhibitions/
From the series Re-Cognition by Larry Volk, courtesy of the artist and Bromfield Gallery, Boston.
Bromfield Gallery – In his solo exhibit, Re-Cognition, photographer Larry Volk discovers new meaning in vintage family photographs when considered in light of a new generation. His use of inventive visual techniques amplifies how meanings change with time, creating “the moment when an image, though unchanged, yields a different understanding.” On view from September 2nd – September 27th, 2026, there will be an Opening Reception with the artist on First Friday, September 4th from 6:00 – 8:00 pm and a Closing Reception on Saturday, September 26th from 3:00 – 5:00pm.
For more information, go to: https://www.bromfieldgallery.com/current-exhibitions
CAMBRIDGE and WATERTOWN
Feature Image: Jack Gould, American, “Untitled (Television Night School)” 1943, printed later. Gelatin silver print, 8 7/16 x 10 13/16 inches.Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Transfer from the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts, American Professional Photographers Collection 4.2002.192
Harvard Art Museums (HAM), Cambridge – Remember the good old days? Those post-WWII days often remembered as a time of prosperity, stability, and ease? Drawn from the Harvard Art Museums’ American Professional Photographers Collection, The Way We Never Were examines the role that professional photography played in shaping this halcyon image and brings renewed attention to a vast archive assembled in the 1970s by sociologist and curator Barbara P. Norfleet. These commissioned photographs helped create a shared visual understanding of mid-century American culture, pointing not only to what was included, but also to what was left out of the photographic record. On view through May 9th, 2027.
For more information on this exhibit and associated programming, go to: https://harvardartmuseums.org/exhibitions/6622/the-way-we-never-were-the-american-professional-photographers-collection
Detail of “The Conquest of Tehran, Zahir al-Dowleh’s Residence, Tehran, August 20, 1909” by Azadeh Akhlaghi from the series and book From Iran: A Visual Testimony courtesy of the artist and The Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology at Harvard University.
The Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology at Harvard University, Cambridge – In her solo exhibition, From Iran: A Visual Testimony, Azadeh Akhlaghi, Iranian photographer, filmmaker and 2019 Robert Gardner Fellow in Photography, stages grand scenarios that imagine and reconstruct eleven pivotal incidents that highlight the cycle of successful and failed efforts by Iranians to reclaim control of their country between 1908—when the Shah quashed the first National Assembly—and 1979, when the monarchy was overthrown and Islamic rule began. In reconstructing events that were never photographed, Akhlaghi questions “the authority of images and the ways collective memory is shaped through absence as much as through evidence.” On view through March 21, 2027.
To read our review: https://www.whatwillyouremember.com/azadeh-akhlaghi-from-iran-visual-testimony-at-harvard-peabody-museum-of-archeology-and-ethnology-cambridge-ma/
For more information, go to: https://peabody.harvard.edu/iran-visual-testimony
“Bobby Jones’ Driver” 1938, by Harold “Doc” Edgerton. © MIT Museum, Cambridge, MA.
MIT Museum – “Freezing Time: Edgerton and the Beauty of the Machine Age” offers a retrospective of breathtaking photographs created by MIT scientist and researcher Harold ”Doc” Edgerton, who combined the stroboscope and the high-speed flash into vital tools for the analysis of high-speed movement in the 1930’s. On view through October 8th, 2026.
For more information, go to: https://mitmuseum.mit.edu/exhibitions/freezing-time-edgerton-and-the-beauty-of-the-machine-age
“Project Car” by Zachary P. Stephens, courtesy of the artist and the Photographic Resource Center.
Photographic Resource Center (PRC)– EXPOSURE 2026 is the PRC’s 30th Annual Members’ Exhibition. Juried this year by Audrey L. Sands, Associate Curator of Photography at the Harvard Art Museums, the show features a short portfolio of work by twelve photographers: Hannah Altman, Paul Cary Goldberg, Margo Cooper, Mav Fernandez, Steve Genatossio, Daniel Jackson, Stella Johnson, Mari Saxon, Anastasia Sierra, Zachary P. Stephens (photo), Grady Thomas and Chantal Zakari. LAST CHANCE! On view through September 6th, 2026.
To read our review: https://www.whatwillyouremember.com/exposure-2026-group-exhibit-at-the-photographic-resource-center-in-ma/
For more information, go to: https://www.prcboston.org/exposure-2026/
From the series My Armenia by Winslow Martin, courtesy of the artist.
Project Save, Watertown – Photographer Winslow Martin shares his early encounters (1999-2008) of an ongoing 27-year project, My Armenia, in which viewers can discover an inside glimpse of this country’s complexities, conflicts and infectious congeniality through the eyes of an empathetic outsider. EXTENDED! On view through September 30th, 2026.
For more information, go to: https://www.projectsave.org/events
THE BURBS
“Street Bar” by Diane Bennett, 2025, courtesy of the artist and Griffin Museum of Photography, WInchester, MA.
Griffin Museum of Photography, Winchester – The 32nd Annual Member’s Juried Exhibition promises is a dynamic show that emphasizes the breadth of talent among the museum’s members. Juried by Barbara Tannenbaum, Curator of Photography and Chair, Department of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs at the Cleveland Museum of Art, the show features over sixty artists. Also on view, “Rotan Switch,” Lisa McCord’s documentation of her grandparent’s cotton farm in the Mississippi Delta and Preston Ganaway’s “Remember Me,” a touching long-term portrayal of a boy who lost his mother at the age of four. LAST CHANCE! On view through September 6th, 2025.
To read our review of the 32nd Annual Members Juried Exhibition, go to: https://www.whatwillyouremember.com/griffin-musuem-of-photography-32nd-annual-juried-exhibition-in-winchester-ma-curated-by-barbara-tannenbaum/
To read our review of Lisa McCord’s “Rotan Switch” and Preston Gannaway’s “Remember Me,”, go to: https://www.whatwillyouremember.com/lisa-mccord-rotan-switch-and-preston-gannaway-remember-me-at-griffin-museum-of-photography-ma/
“Nikon” by Alanna Airitam, from the series Black Diamonds, courtesy of the artist and the Griffin Museum of Photography.
“Untitled” by Harlan Bozeman, from the series Out the E, courtesy of the artist and the Griffin Museum of Photography.
“Creole Cowboy” by Charles Lee, from the series Sweat + Dirt, courtesy of the artist and the Griffin Museum of Photography.
“Martha with Daughters” by Star Montana from the series By the rivers, I stood there and stared at the sun, courtesy of the artist and the Griffin Museum of Photography.
Next at The Griffin Museum of Photography – TLC curated by Delphine Sims, Assistant Curator in the Department of Photography at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art features Alanna Airitam, Harlan Bozeman, Charles H. Lee and Star Montana. This show is the third in a four part series of exhibitions taking a critical look at the State of Our Union during the 250th year of the United States. So far, the exhibits have covered landscapes and labor, but these artists examine the intimacies of family dynamics in communities of color. A panel discussion starting at 2:00pm will be followed by an Opening Reception from 4 to 6pm on September 12th. On view from September 12th through October 25th, 2026.
Installation view, The Persistence of Memory by Lua Kobayashi, courtesy of the Griffin Museum of Photography.
And in the Griffin Gallery, the 2025/2026 Cummings Residency winner Lua Kobayashi presents The Persistence of Memory, an immersive installation highlighting memories and culture among Japanese Americans whom the artist visited during her residence. A reception with the artist is planned for Friday September 11th from 5 to 7pm. On view from September 11th through October 25th, 2026.
For more information on all the shows and related programming: https://griffinmuseum.org
“Salt Lake, Utah” by Neal Rantoul, © 2015 from the exhibition A Life in Photographs, courtesy of the artist and the Danforth Art Museum.
“Amnesia” by Suzanne Gainer, from the series Every Woman and Nobody, courtesy of the artist and the Danforth Art Museum.
“Battle Dance” by Elizabeth Clark Libert, from the series Boy Crazy, courtesy of the artist and the Danforth Art Museum.
Danforth Art Museum, Framingham – A lot of great photography that probes physical, psychological and personal realms is coming to the Danforth this fall featuring A Life in Photographs by Neal Rantoul, Every Woman and Nobody by Suzanne Gainer and Boy Crazy by Elizabeth Clark Libert. On view from September 19th – December 20th, 2026, there will be an Opening Reception on Saturday ,September 26th from 6 to 8pm.
For more information: https://danforth.framingham.edu/see-art/
“Wine with Rubber Bands and Birds” by Astrid Reischwitz, courtesy of the artist and Julie Deering Gallery, Gloucester, MA.
Jane Deering Gallery, Gloucester – Photographer Astrid Reischwitz’s solo show, Tapestry of Memory, brings together work from her series rooted in the traditions of her family’s farm in rural northern Germany. Her evocative family narratives, at once mysterious and familiar, are woven through still-life compositions that intertwine threads of home, heritage, and identity. On view through September 20th, 2026,
For more information, go to: https://www.janedeeringgallery.com/astrid-reischwitz-tapestry-of-memory
SOUTHEAST MASSACHUSETTS AND CAPE COD
From the series From the Ground Up by Edward Boches, courtesy of the artist.
The Workspace Gallery at Bob Korn Imaging, Eastham – Do You See What I See?: Photographs from a Crit Group features the work of Andy Epstein, Coco McCabe, Edward Boches, Elliot Schildkrout, Lee Cott and Margaret Lampert, six photographers who have participated in and benefitted from their critique group for six years. The exhibit features 20 images that distinguish each artist while creating dialogs between them. On view through September 30th, 2026.
To read Edward Boches’ Essay on the value of critique groups: https://www.whatwillyouremember.com/on-critique-guest-essay-by-edward-boches/
For more information, go to: https://bobkornimaging.com/
Manuel Goulart (Portuguese, 1866-1946), Studio Portraits. Dry Plate Glass Negative, 5 x 7 in. NBWM 1993.48.19.36.
New Bedford Whaling Museum, New Bedford – The exhibition, Look Pleasant, Please, debuts a collection of archival photographic portraits reflecting historical and cultural changes in New Bedford as it transformed from a whaling town to a textiles center. Over 300 portraits from 1839 to 1900 feature examples of Daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, tintypes, carte-de-visites, cabinet cards, gelatin silver prints and albums. LAST CHANCE! On view through September 7th, 2026.
For more information, go to: https://www.whalingmuseum.org/exhibition/look-pleasant-please-early-portrait-photography-in-new-bedford/
CENTRAL AND WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS
From the exhibition RACE/HUSTLE by Zora J. Murff, courtesy of the artist and MASS MoCa, North Adams, MA.
MASS MoCA, North Adams – Zora J. Murff presents photographs, collages, video and text in RACE/HUSTLE, probing physical, psychological and institutional forms of societal violence. Curated by Terence Washington through MASS MoCA’s Curatorial Exchange Initiative, Murff examines the deleterious effects of institutional racism that have been visually normalized through history and how they manifest in every day culture. On view through November 22nd, 2026.
For more information: https://massmoca.org/event/zora-j-murff-race-
ROAD TRIP!
Rhode Island
Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts, Providence – Master photographer Neal Rantoul juried the 7th Annual Spotlight Member Exhibition, featuring a small grouping of images from each of the selected photographers: Sharon Bibeault, Jeff Buttel, John Femino, Donald Johnson, Benson Margulies and Keith Prue. The selected artist from last year’s Spotlight show, Gail Samuelson’s Curious Conversations features recent photogravures. On view through October 9th, 2026, there will be a Gallery Night Reception on Thursday, September 17th from 5:00 – 8:00 pm.
For more information about these exhibits and associated programming, go to: https://www.riphotocenter.org/7th-annual-spotlight-member-exhibition/
Courtesy of the Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts.
Connecticut
The William Benton Museum of Art (at UConn), Storrs – Colors in the Dark: Ellen Carey is a 39-year retrospective of the experimental photographer’s spectacular work, from early abstract Polaroid self-portraits (from 1987) to her minimalist color “pulls” (1996-2024) to her camera-less photograms (1988- present). On view through December 20th, 2026, there will be an Opening Reception with the artist on Thursday, September 10th from 5:00 – 7:00pm.
For more information, go to: https://benton.uconn.edu/colors-in-the-dark-ellen-carey/
Maine
“Goldenrod, Amenia NY” by Eve Biddle, 2024, screen print on oval panel, museum purchase with the support of the Irving B. Ellis Fund, courtesy of the artist and the Portland Museum of Art. (Image via Petegorsky/Gipe Photo) © Eve Biddle
Portland Museum of Art, Portland – Eve Biddle: Wonderlands features the work of a Wassaic and Brooklyn-based artist who employs sculpture, installation and lens based media to probe the environment. The artist gathers materials such as rocks, kelp or sticks and translates them through photography and printmaking to consider a sense of place and memory. On view through January 27th, 2027.
For more information: https://www.portlandmuseum.org/exhibitions/wonderlands-eve-biddle/
Courtesy of the Gravedigger’s Daughter, Waldoboro, Maine.
Gravedigger’s Daughter, Waldoboro – A little farther afield, Drew Leventhal’s Mason & Dixon probes the dividing line between north and south through sublime and tactile photogravure prints. On view through September 13th, 2026.
For more information: https://www.gravediggersdaughter.org
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