Catherine Lord (born 1949) is an American artist, writer, curator, social activist, professor, scholar exploring themes of

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

, cultural politics and

colonialism Colonialism is the control of another territory, natural resources and people by a foreign group. Colonizers control the political and tribal power of the colonised territory. While frequently an Imperialism, imperialist project, colonialism c ...

. In 2010, she was awarded the Harvard Arts Medal.

Early life and education

Born in Dominica, she attended a British boarding school in

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

. When she was 13, she moved to Iowa with her family. While attending

Radcliffe College Radcliffe College was a Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that was founded in 1879. In 1999, it was fully incorporated into Harvard Colle ...

, where she majored in English, she worked as a research assistant at the

Schlesinger Library The Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America is a research library at Harvard Radcliffe Institute at Harvard University. According to Nancy F. Cott, the Carl and Lily Pforzheimer Foundation Director, it is "the ...

. She earned her Master's of Fine Arts degree in

photography Photography is the visual arts, art, application, and practice of creating images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is empl ...

and the history of photography at the

Visual Studies Workshop Visual Studies Workshop (VSW) is a non-profit organization dedicated to art education based in Rochester, New York, in the Susan B. Anthony House, Susan B. Anthony Neighborhood. VSW supports makers and interpreters of images through education, pu ...

, an artists' organization allied with the

State University of New York at Buffalo The State University of New York at Buffalo (commonly referred to as UB, University at Buffalo, and sometimes SUNY Buffalo) is a public research university in Buffalo and Amherst, New York, United States. The university was founded in 1846 a ...

. Lord also edited

Afterimage An afterimage, or after-image, is an image that continues to appear in the eyes after a period of exposure to the original image. An afterimage may be a normal phenomenon (physiological afterimage) or may be pathological (palinopsia). Illusory ...

, a journal of photography, film, and video.

Work

Her work includes ''The Effect of Tropical Light on White Men'' and "text/image project". She edited the catalogue for an exhibition of lesbian art, "All but the Obvious".

Curated work

Lord has curated a number of exhibitions, including:"Pervert," "Trash," “Gender, fucked,” and "Memories of Overdevelopment: Philippine Diaspora in Contemporary Visual Art."

Published work

Lord published an experimental narrative, ''The Summer of Her Baldness: A Cancer Improvisation,'' where she shares her experience of gender during chemotherapy.

Film

In 2021, she was one of the participants in

John Greyson John Greyson (born March 13, 1960) is a Canadian director, writer, video artist, producer, and Activism, political activist, whose work frequently deals with queer characters and themes. He was part of a loosely affiliated group of filmmakers to ...

's experimental short documentary film ''

International Dawn Chorus Day The dawn chorus is the outbreak of birdsong at the start of a new day. In temperate countries this is most noticeable in spring when the birds are either defending a Territory (animal), breeding territory, trying to attract a mate or calling in t ...

''.

Academic career

For seven years, Lord served as dean of the school of art at the

California Institute of the Arts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a Private university, private art school in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for ...

. 1990–1995, she was the chairman of the art department at

UC Irvine UC may refer to: Education In the United States * University of California system * University of Charleston, West Virginia * University of Chicago, Illinois * University of Cincinnati, Ohio * Upsala College, East Orange, New Jersey (''defunct ...

. 1991–1996, Lord was the director of the UCI Gallery at that institution. Lord currently teaches at the Milton Avery School of the Arts at

Bard College Bard College is a private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. The campus overlooks the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains within the Hudson River Historic District ...

Gallery exhibitions at UCI

From October 3 through November 7, "And 22 Million Very Tired and Very Angry People" was an installation by

Carrie Mae Weems Carrie Mae Weems (born April 20, 1953) is an American artist working in text, fabric, audio, digital images and Video installation, installation video, and is best known for her photography. She achieved prominence through her early 1990s photog ...

. In winter quarter, January 7 through February 4, "Convergence: Eight Photographers", which was organized by Deborah Willis, curator of the Schoenberg Center of Black American Art in New York. It showcased black artists' perspective.

Awards

In 2008, she was named the Shirley Carter Burden Visiting Professor of Photography at Harvard University. In 2010, she received the Harvard Arts Medal.

Fellowships

Lord has received many fellowships. They include New York State Council on the Arts, the Humanities Research Institute of the University of California, the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, the Norton Family Foundation, the Andy Warhol Foundation, the

Creative Capital Creative Capital is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in New York City that supports artists across the United States through funding, counsel, gatherings, and career development services. Since its founding in 1999, Creative Capital has co ...

Foundation, the Durfee Foundation, the Rockefeller Center for Arts and Humanities, the California Community Foundation and Anonymous Was a Woman.

Panels

At the Exquisite Acts & Everyday Rebellions: 2007 CalArts Feminist Art Symposium, Lord spoke on the panel "Strategies for Contemporary Feminism".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lord, Catherine 1949 births Living people 21st-century American writers 21st-century American women writers Radcliffe College alumni American women curators American curators