Elaine Mayes
Encyclopedia
Elaine Mayes is an American photographer.
Known for her portraits of San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury residents in 1967-8 and for her iconic images of rock and roll performers in the late 1960s, Mayes' subject matter has also included landscapes and conceptual projects including her series, Autolandscapes, made with a National Endowment for the Arts
Fellowship from a moving car while traveling across the country in 1971. In 1978 she received two NEA Fellowships, including an individual grant and support for participation in a Survey Grant that resulted in The Long Island Project, sponsored by Apeiron Workshops, now housed at Hofstra University
. She also photographed the New York downtown rock scene of the 1980s. In 1982 received a New York State CAPS grant. In 1985 she and No Theater of Northampton
received a Massachusetts State Foundation for the Arts grant in support of a collaborative work, 'Photoplay.' In 1991 Mayes received a Guggenheim Fellowship to photograph in Hawaii, and with an Atherton Foundation grant (2003) published this work in a limited edition book titled "Ki'i No Hawai'i" in 2009.
Mayes was the first woman to teach both photography and film in the academic curriculum at the college level. Beginning in 1968 she taught at the University of Minnesota
, and in 1971 joined Jerome Liebling
as part of the founding faculty at Hampshire College
where she taught for ten years. Her students included documentary filmmakers Ken Burns
, Michel Negroponte, Roger Sherman
, Buddy Squires and Kirk Simon and Karen Goodman. In 2009 Hampshire established an endowment in Mayes' name to support student projects in film, photography, and video. Mayes also taught at Pratt Institute
, The International Center of Photography
, Bard College
and New York University
where she retired as Chair of the Photography Department in the Tisch School of the Arts
in 2000.
Mayes' photographic work is included in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
, The Museum of Modern Art
, The Museum of Fine Art Boston, The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
, the Telfair Museum of Art
in Savannah, Georgia
and a number of other art institutions across the United States.
Her videography
was included in "Silverlake Life
" (1992), an award winning documentary that observed the struggles of film maker Tom Joslin and his partner with AIDS
. Mayes' Hawaii photographs were exhibited at The Contemporary Museum in Honolulu in 2003. In the same year her book of photographs of the Monterey Pop Festival
, "It Happened In Monterey", was published by Britannia Press. A selection of these photographs was included in the Criterion 2002 DVD release “The Complete Monterey Pop” along with commentary by Mayes. Her Haight Ashbury portraits were exhibited at the Steven Kasher Gallery in Manhattan, and her work was included in group shows at MOMA . In 2010 her work was included at SFMOMA’s 75th Anniversary Exhibition.
Mayes is currently a professor emeritus of New York University, Tisch School of the Arts.
Known for her portraits of San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury residents in 1967-8 and for her iconic images of rock and roll performers in the late 1960s, Mayes' subject matter has also included landscapes and conceptual projects including her series, Autolandscapes, made with a National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
Fellowship from a moving car while traveling across the country in 1971. In 1978 she received two NEA Fellowships, including an individual grant and support for participation in a Survey Grant that resulted in The Long Island Project, sponsored by Apeiron Workshops, now housed at Hofstra University
Hofstra University
Hofstra University is a private, nonsectarian institution of higher learning located in the Village of Hempstead, New York, United States, about east of New York City: less than an hour away by train or car...
. She also photographed the New York downtown rock scene of the 1980s. In 1982 received a New York State CAPS grant. In 1985 she and No Theater of Northampton
Northampton, Massachusetts
The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of Northampton's central neighborhoods, was 28,549...
received a Massachusetts State Foundation for the Arts grant in support of a collaborative work, 'Photoplay.' In 1991 Mayes received a Guggenheim Fellowship to photograph in Hawaii, and with an Atherton Foundation grant (2003) published this work in a limited edition book titled "Ki'i No Hawai'i" in 2009.
Mayes was the first woman to teach both photography and film in the academic curriculum at the college level. Beginning in 1968 she taught at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
, and in 1971 joined Jerome Liebling
Jerome Liebling
Jerome Liebling was an American photographer, filmmaker, and teacher.He studied photography under Walter Rosenblum and Paul Strand, and joined New York's famed Photo League...
as part of the founding faculty at Hampshire College
Hampshire College
Hampshire College is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1965 as an experiment in alternative education, in association with four other colleges in the Pioneer Valley: Amherst College, Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, and the University of Massachusetts...
where she taught for ten years. Her students included documentary filmmakers Ken Burns
Ken Burns
Kenneth Lauren "Ken" Burns is an American director and producer of documentary films, known for his style of using archival footage and photographs...
, Michel Negroponte, Roger Sherman
Roger Sherman
Roger Sherman was an early American lawyer and politician, as well as a founding father. He served as the first mayor of New Haven, Connecticut, and served on the Committee of Five that drafted the Declaration of Independence, and was also a representative and senator in the new republic...
, Buddy Squires and Kirk Simon and Karen Goodman. In 2009 Hampshire established an endowment in Mayes' name to support student projects in film, photography, and video. Mayes also taught at Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute is a private art college in New York City located in Brooklyn, New York, with satellite campuses in Manhattan and Utica. Pratt is one of the leading undergraduate art schools in the United States and offers programs in Architecture, Graphic Design, History of Art and Design,...
, The International Center of Photography
International Center of Photography
The International Center of Photography is a photography museum, school, and research center in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States...
, Bard College
Bard College
Bard College, founded in 1860 as "St. Stephen's College", is a small four-year liberal arts college located in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York.-Location:...
and New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
where she retired as Chair of the Photography Department in the Tisch School of the Arts
Tisch School of the Arts
Tisch School of the Arts is one of the 15 schools that make up New York University ....
in 2000.
Mayes' photographic work is included in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
, The Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
, The Museum of Fine Art Boston, The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is a modern art museum located in San Francisco, California. A nonprofit organization, SFMOMA holds an internationally recognized collection of modern and contemporary art and was the first museum on the West Coast devoted solely to 20th century art...
, the Telfair Museum of Art
Telfair Museum of Art
The Telfair Museum of Art, located in the historic district of Savannah, Georgia, is the South’s first public art museum. Founded through the bequest of Mary Telfair , a prominent local citizen, the museum opened in 1886 in the Telfair family’s renovated Regency-style mansion, known as the Telfair...
in Savannah, Georgia
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
and a number of other art institutions across the United States.
Her videography
Videography
Videography refers to the process of capturing moving images on electronic media even streaming media). The term includes methods of video production and post-production...
was included in "Silverlake Life
Silverlake Life: The View from Here
Silverlake Life: The View from Here is a 1993 documentary film by director Peter Friedman and Tom Joslin. Shot with a hand-held video camera, the film documents the final months of a relationship between two gay men as they both struggle to deal with AIDS.The film won several awards including a...
" (1992), an award winning documentary that observed the struggles of film maker Tom Joslin and his partner with AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
. Mayes' Hawaii photographs were exhibited at The Contemporary Museum in Honolulu in 2003. In the same year her book of photographs of the Monterey Pop Festival
Monterey Pop Festival
The Monterey International Pop Music Festival was a three-day concert event held June 16 to June 18, 1967 at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey, California...
, "It Happened In Monterey", was published by Britannia Press. A selection of these photographs was included in the Criterion 2002 DVD release “The Complete Monterey Pop” along with commentary by Mayes. Her Haight Ashbury portraits were exhibited at the Steven Kasher Gallery in Manhattan, and her work was included in group shows at MOMA . In 2010 her work was included at SFMOMA’s 75th Anniversary Exhibition.
Mayes is currently a professor emeritus of New York University, Tisch School of the Arts.