In the history of photography, Anne Noggle (1922-2005) stands alone among the great American photographers for her powerful, wry portraits and self-portraits of aging women and women's bodies-as Noggle called it, the saga of fallen flesh. Suffusing Noggle's photographs are her profound joie de vivre, humor, and defiant humanism. Noggle's unique vision shaped the medium in ways that have yet to be adequately acknowledged-this new book seeks to underscore the impact and lasting influence of this unconventional photographer.
Flight of Spirit: The Photographs of Anne Noggle, published by the Museum of New Mexico Press, features a series of portfolios selected by Martha Strawn, Noggle's colleague and close friend. The portfolios feature intimate portraits of Noggle's family and friends, and women who served during World War II, including a series of Soviet Airwomen. The closing portfolio of self-portraits depicts a powerful exploration of self. In addition to the photography, Noggle's life and contributions are contemplated in an essay by Lili Corbus, foreword by Lucy Lippard, and Noggle's own poetry.
A Rose Is A Rose Is A Rose (Gertrude Stein) 1985 © Anne Noggle
Noggle's first love was not photography, but flying. She had served as a WASP-Women Airforce Service Pilot-during World War II and in the Korean War. Afterward she was a stunt and crop-dusting pilot in Texas. At the age of 38 she enrolled at the University of New Mexico earning a BA in art and art history and an MA in photography in 1970. She later taught art and art history at the university as adjunct professor and curated photography exhibitions. She was the first photography curator at the New Mexico Museum of Art (formerly Museum of Fine Arts) in Santa Fe from 1970-76. Noggle's photographs are held in numerous public and private collections throughout the world.
(Myself as) Marilyn Monroe, n.d. © Anne Noggle
Martha A. Strawn is a widely exhibited photographer and president of the Anne Noggle Foundation. She is professor of art emerita at the University of North Carolina and co-founder of the Light Factory Contemporary Museum of Photography and Film in Charlotte. She has served on the board of directors of the Society for Photographic Education, the Friends of Photography, and the Center for the Study of Place. Strawn is the author of Alligators: Prehistoric Presence in the American Landscape, Religion: From Place to Placelessness (with Yi-Fu Tuan), and Across the Threshold of India: Art, Women and Culture.
About the Book:
Title: Flight of Spirit: The Photographs of Anne Noggle
Publisher: Museum of New Mexico Press
Price: $37.50
ISBN: 978-0-89013-641-6
Jacketed Hardcover, 160 pages, 82 duotone plates
BOOK LAUNCH EVENT
Martha Strawn & Lucy Lippard
Book signing Obscura Gallery, 1405 Paseo de Peralta, Santa Fe
Friday, November 8, 5:00-6:00pm
