By Suzanne Révy
Two years ago, I met Lisa Volpe, Curator of Photography at Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, for an online portfolio review and then we met again last year in person at FotoFest in Houston. Her enthusiastic advice and insights allowed me to resolve a compositional and visual problem within my work that has immeasurably improved the rhythm of my landscape photographs. I was delighted to learn she would be guest juror for the 29th Annual Members Juried Exhibition now on view at the Griffin Museum of Photography in Winchester, MA through May 28th, 2023. We thought our readers would like to learn about this dynamic curator and her relationship to photography.
Lisa Volpe guides a museum tour with irrepressible enthusiasm.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and what drew you to photography?
I’ve always felt connected to photography. My grandfather was an amateur photographer and my mom would describe waking up in her childhood home to find photographs floating in the bathtub. That’s where he would do his final wash. It was a magical idea to me. I studied art history and studio art in college, and spent all the time I could in both the black and white and color darkroom at school. While I knew I wasn’t going to be an artist, I also knew that training my eye and understanding the process were essential.
“I got this drawing back after giving a tour to a second grade class, and it might be one of my favorite things ever! It looks like me and those are accurate renderings of the photos that were on display!” Courtesy of Lisa Volpe
What do you like about being a curator? What advice would you give someone who aspires to be a curator?
My former boss and mentor, the amazing Karen Sinsheimer (the late Curator of Photography at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art), used to say that curating involves everything BUT big rig truck driving. It’s accurate. Curating involves an ever-growing set of skills and it’s a constant learning experience. That makes it a constant challenge and constantly exciting. Art and culture is always changing and the way we present it must necessarily change, too.
Installation view of “Gordon Parks: Stokely Carmichael and Black Power” at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, courtesy of Lisa Volpe.
Installation view of “Georgia O’Keeffe: Photographer” at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, courtesy of Lisa Volpe.
Please share with us highlights or exhibitions that you have curated at MFAH or elsewhere. Tell us a little about your methodology, and where you might get ideas for shows.
I love the projects that no one has ever done, the photos that no one has ever seen. So if it doesn’t require original research or thought, I’m not really interested in it. Luckily, there is so much in photo history that’s yet to be explored. Georgia O’Keeffe: Photographer required learning about everything from adobe remudding, to paper fibers, to chow chow facial features, to Abiquiu’s hours of daylight. Gordon Parks: Stokely Carmichael and Black Power required cutting and re-combining Parks’s never-examined contact sheets in order to research locations, process, and understand his vision. My upcoming exhibition presents for the first time BOTH 1955 cross-country Guggenheim projects: Robert Frank’s and Todd Webb’s. Both men went across the U.S. in 1955, approaching their journeys in radically different ways. And while Frank’s project became the iconic book The Americans, Webb’s work has never been seen. The comparison reveals the culture of mid-century America, while the differences underscore their unique styles. To put together the checklist, I combed through more than 10,000 of Webb’s unpublished negatives, and was given access to never-before-seen videos of Robert Frank. It’s an eye-opening exhibition that will come to the Addison Gallery of American Art in Andover, MA in 2024!
A selection of recent acquisitions on view at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston in September, 2022. Photograph by Suzanne Révy.
What advice might you give a photographer who is looking to place work into a museum collection? What types of photographs do you look for on behalf of MFAH?
I’ve said before that when I look at work, I’m constantly comparing it to the 35,000 photos already in the museum collection. The work has to be something new, say something new, or have a new approach or vision in order for it to find a place in the collection. How does it advance photo history or our understanding of the world? Is it a familiar subject tackled in a new way? With a new perspective? Is it an original scene or topic? Will it be interesting to audiences in twenty, thirty or a hundred years from now? Those are the questions I ask myself. Then once I feel it meets those standards I have to convince our director and our subcommittee, who oversee every acquisition – whether gift or purchase. It’s a long and difficult process.
Lisa Volpe leads a tour of the “Gordon Parks: Stokely Carmichael and Black Power” exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Photo courtesy of Lisa Volpe.
And finally, what mistakes do you feel you have you made along the way? And what did you learn from them?
I should have taken more courses on film history and theory! Many contemporary photographers are stretching themselves beyond a single capture, and making videos and other forms of time-based media. I’ve had to play a lot of catch-up learning about the techniques and the equipment. But that’s typical, isn’t it? Artists always lead the way, and curators follow behind them. That’s why when I first heard “NFT”, I immediately learned all I could and interviewed several artists who were making them. I needed a full understanding and additional perspective in order to feel confident about this (quick moment?) in photo history.
Lisa Volpe (back to camera) guides visitors through the “Georgia O’Keeffe: Photography” exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Photo courtesy of Lisa Volpe.
Thank you, Lisa!
To read our review of the “29th Annual Griffin Member’s Juried Show” go to: https://www.whatwillyouremember.com/griffin-museum-29th-annual-juried-exhibition-winchester-ma-juried-by-lisa-volpe-curator-of-photographs-museum-of-fine-arts-houston-and-solo-shows-by-rohina-hoffman-and-jason-reblando/
To read our review of “Georgia O’Keeffe: Photographer” that traveled to the Addison Gallery of American Art last spring, go to: https://www.whatwillyouremember.com/georgia-okeeffe-photographer-at-the-addison-gallery-of-american-art-andover-ma/
An installation view of “Georgia O’Keeffe: Photographer” featuring two photographs and one painting by Georgia O’Keeffe. This exhibit, curated by Lisa Volpe at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston traveled to the Addison Gallery of American Art in spring of 2022. Photograph by Suzanne Révy.
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