Joan E. Biren
Encyclopedia
Joan E. Biren or JEB is an internationally recognized documentary artist
. Her photographic and film work has chronicled the lives of lesbian
, gay
, bisexual, and transgender
people for more than 30 years, bringing them a new visibility.
Biren produced and wrote A Simple Matter of Justice, which documented the 1993 March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay, and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation. The one hour film received wide acclaim and was voted "Best Video" at the Washington, DC Reel Affirmations Film Festival. In order to produce this piece, Joan set up a live six-camera switch feed that simultaneously broadcast footage on jumbo screens located on the National Mall and around the world.
in Washington, D.C. After three years of pursuing doctoral studies at Oxford University, Biren returned home to America. While working at a camera store and small town newspaper, Biren began to teach herself photography skills that laid the foundation for her future career.
In her early 20s, Biren was part of the Furies Collective, a radical experiment in lesbian feminist separatist organizing. Though the collective lasted only about 18 months, it had a profound influence on lesbian thought through its newspaper, The Furies, and other publications.
It was in the collective that JEB began developing her skills in photography. Her books Eye to Eye: Portraits of Lesbians (1979) and Making a Way: Lesbians Out Front (1987) brought groundbreaking visibility to lesbian lives. In 1997, George Washington University
mounted a retrospective exhibit of JEB’s work, Queerly Visible: 1971–1991, which later toured the nation.
JEB's papers and visual materials will be permanently archived at The Sophia Smith Collection
, the premiere women's history collection, at Smith College
. Many of her photographs are located at the Library of Congress
in Washington, D.C. In addition, The George Washington University
houses a collection of photographs used in Queerly Visible: 1971–1991.
From Joan Biren's oral history in the Rainbow History Project collection:
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
. Her photographic and film work has chronicled the lives of lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
, gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
, bisexual, and transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
people for more than 30 years, bringing them a new visibility.
Filmography
JEB’s films include No Secret Anymore: The Times of Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon; Removing the Barriers, used to train healthcare providers to improve service to lesbian clients; Women Organize!; and Solidarity, Not Charity on relief efforts in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. Additional notable films have included Lesbian Physicians on Practice, Patients and Power and For Love and For Life: The 1987 March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. The first film is still commonly screened in medical schools around the country and the latter has been broadcast on public television.Biren produced and wrote A Simple Matter of Justice, which documented the 1993 March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay, and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation. The one hour film received wide acclaim and was voted "Best Video" at the Washington, DC Reel Affirmations Film Festival. In order to produce this piece, Joan set up a live six-camera switch feed that simultaneously broadcast footage on jumbo screens located on the National Mall and around the world.
Early career: The Furies and photography
Joan attended Mt. Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts, where she received her B.A. in political science. She later received a M.A. in Communication at American UniversityAmerican University
American University is a private, Methodist, liberal arts, and research university in Washington, D.C. The university was chartered by an Act of Congress on December 5, 1892 as "The American University", which was approved by President Benjamin Harrison on February 24, 1893...
in Washington, D.C. After three years of pursuing doctoral studies at Oxford University, Biren returned home to America. While working at a camera store and small town newspaper, Biren began to teach herself photography skills that laid the foundation for her future career.
In her early 20s, Biren was part of the Furies Collective, a radical experiment in lesbian feminist separatist organizing. Though the collective lasted only about 18 months, it had a profound influence on lesbian thought through its newspaper, The Furies, and other publications.
It was in the collective that JEB began developing her skills in photography. Her books Eye to Eye: Portraits of Lesbians (1979) and Making a Way: Lesbians Out Front (1987) brought groundbreaking visibility to lesbian lives. In 1997, George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
mounted a retrospective exhibit of JEB’s work, Queerly Visible: 1971–1991, which later toured the nation.
Career
For many years, JEB traveled the country presenting her multi-projector slideshows and running photography workshops. In the early 1990s, she moved from slideshows to film making. JEB’s award-winning films have been seen on the Sundance Channel and public broadcasting stations. She is the president of Moonforce Media, a non-profit company, which produces and distributes films and videos that challenge people to work for social justice and awards The Tee A. Corinne Prize, an annual grant to lesbian media makers.JEB's papers and visual materials will be permanently archived at The Sophia Smith Collection
Sophia Smith Collection
The Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College is an internationally recognized repository of manuscripts, photographs, periodicals and other primary sources in women's history. It was founded by Margaret Storrs Grierson in 1942 to be the library's distinctive contribution to the college's mission...
, the premiere women's history collection, at Smith College
Smith College
Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
. Many of her photographs are located at the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
in Washington, D.C. In addition, The George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
houses a collection of photographs used in Queerly Visible: 1971–1991.
From Joan Biren's oral history in the Rainbow History Project collection:
“... My thing was to take pictures of the people that other people weren’t taking pictures of, to make visible what was invisible ... I always try to present the entire diversity of our community. That’s always very much in my mind in all of my work.”
“The thing about the Furies is that, for as short a time as we existed, we had a big impact. The ideology was very influential....”
External links
- Official site
- Joan Biren Photograph Collection, Special Collections Research Center, Estelle and Melvin Gelman Library, The George Washington University
- Queerly Visible: The Work of J.E.B., The George Washington University