CURRENT PROJECT
- Mississippi: The Place I live
Scenes from a photo book-in-progress, shot with old cameras that
render images with the imperfections, rawness, soft focus, and unexpected
shafts of light that reflect the people and the complicated history
of this state.
Exhibitions, grants, awards for my current project
Pop Up Show featuring Mississippi photographs
Fischers Galleries, Jackson, Mississippi Oct 2014
The American South by Ain’t Bad Magazine, Morris Museum, Augusta,
Georgia Sept-Oct 2014
University of Southern Mississippi (USM) Art Faculty Selected Works.
Mississippi photographs. Hattiesburg, MS. Sep-Oct 2014
Slow Exposures. Photography from the Rural South. Pike County, Georgia
September 2014 Jurors: Aline Smithson and Alexa Dilworth
· Women In Photography International Special Feature SILVERSHOTZ
(Australia) COLLECTIBLE
last printed edition 2014 Volume 8, Edition 5. One of eleven photographers
chosen to feature their photographs in this special edition.
PHOTOBOOK PUBLISHED
I Am Because We Are: African Wisdom in
Image and Proverb <http://www.africanwisdominimageandproverb.com>
was published in September 2011. It includes 125 black and white
duotone images selected from my African work taken all over East
and West Africa since 1987 combined with related African proverbs
compiled by Annetta Miller. The images of daily life deal with knowledge,
cooperation, love, beauty, friendship, hope, humor, sorrow, happiness,
gratitude, dance, tradition, faith, peace, war, death and human
relationships. These are the same themes found in African proverbial
language: thus the idea of coupling the images with proverbs. Together
they offer a powerful expression of African wisdom and the universality
of human emotions, ideas, and knowledge.
The book highlights the importance of community; we exist in community
and we share the responsibility for that community with others.
This book is making a significant educational and artistic contribution
to the appreciation and understanding of African culture and society
as well as our own.
SELECTED BOOK EVENTS and AWARDS
Women In Photography International Special
Feature SILVERSHOTZ (Australia) COLLECTIBLE
last printed edition 2014 Volume 8, Edition 5. One of eleven photographers
chosen to feature their photographs in this special edition.
2012 Photography award, Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters
<http://www.ms-arts-letters.org/nominations.shtml> Invitation
to give the Memorial Lecture at the Bassey Andah Foundation <http://basseyandahfoundation.org/news&events.htm>
, Calabar, Nigeria January 14, 2012
2011 Grant finalist for Michael P. Smith Fund For Documentary Photography
<http://neworleansphotoalliance.org/grants/MPS_Fund/2011/>
, New Orleans Photo Alliance
Three of the best photo books of 2011, the Christian Science Monitor
<http://www.csmonitor.com/%20Books/2011/1213/3-of-our-favorite-photo-books-of-2011/I-Am-Because-We-Are-by-Betty-Press>
NPR Interview: November 20, 2011 Book was featured on NPR Sunday
Morning Edition <http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2011/11/20/142522652/a-photographer-changes-the-focus-in-africa>
PHOTOBOOK AWARD: One of the top self-published photobooks of 2011
by Davis Orton Gallery <http://davisortongallery.com> , Hudson,
NY. Exhibition of winning books Nov 18 - Dec.18, 2011
Book Launch, Talk & Signing September 8, 2011 Library of Congress,
Washington, DC
Widely sold in the United States, several African countries, Europe
and Australia. Now distributed by the University Press of Mississippi
PROFESSIONAL WORK EXPERIENCE
Adjunct professor of Photography, University of Southern Mississippi,
Hattiesburg, since 2003
Worked on personal photo projects/Accompanied husband on Fulbright
to Sierra Leone, 2008-9
Adjunct professor of Photography, Stetson University, Deland, Florida
1996-2003
1987 - 1995 Photojournalist (Based in Nairobi, Kenya covering East
and West Africa)
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
Mississippi imPRESSions, April-May 2013 Thirsty Hippo, Hattiesburg,
Mississippi
African Wisdom in image and proverb, Elder Gallery, Nebraska Wesleyan
University, Lincoln. Nebraska Sept – October 2012
African Wisdom in image and proverb, Mississippi State University,
Starkville, Mississippi September 2012
African Wisdom in image and proverb, McKenna Museum of African-American
Art, New Orleans, LA Dec. 2011 –Jan. 2012 part of the PHOTONOLA
Festival
African Wisdom in image and proverb, Oddfellows Gallery, Hattiesburg,
MS Oct-Nov. 2011
African Wisdom in image and proverb Exhibition and Book Signing,
International Visions Gallery, Washington, DC September. 2011
Mama don’t take my Kodachrome away Goddard Studio Gallery,
Hattiesburg MS 2011
Africa in images and proverbs, WorkSpace Gallery, Lincoln, Nebraska
Sep 4-Nov 4, 2009
Africa in images and proverbs, University of La Verne, La Verne,
California March-April 2005
Africa in images and proverbs, The New Gallery, University of Miami,
Florida January-February 2005
Reflections of Africa, Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design,
Lakewood, CO Oct 2004
Reflections of Africa, Lycoming College, Williamsport, Pennsylvania
February 2004
Covered and Uncovered: Photographs and African masks, Art League,
Daytona Beach, Florida August-Sept 2003
Reflections of Africa: Photographs from Africa and the Diaspora,
Baldwin Photographic Gallery, Middle Tennessee State University,
Murfreesboro, Tennessee, March-April 2003
Travelers’ Tales: World Views, Southeast Museum of Photography,
Daytona Beach, Florida October 2000-Feb 2001
Lens of the eye – Fabric of the Mind, University Gallery,
College of Art, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida May-July
2000
Reflections of Africa: Photographs from Cuba, Trinidad, and Belize,
Harris House of the Atlantic Center for the Arts, New Smyrna Beach,
Florida October 1999
One World: Photographs from Mali, Crealdé School of Art,
Winter Park, Florida October 1997
The Power of the Spirit: The African Independent Church Movement,
French Cultural Centre, Nairobi, Kenya May 1995
African Moments: Black and White Photographs from East and West
Africa. The Charles Sumner School Museum, Washington, DC March-May
1993
Principia College, Elsah, Illinois February 1993
The Deland Museum of Art, DeLand, Florida February-April 1992
Gallery Watatu, Nairobi, Kenya October 1990
REPRESENTATION
Panos Pictures <http://www.panos.co.uk> , London, UK
Photographic Image Group <http://www.photographicimage.com>
, Portland, Oregon,
International Visions Gallery <http://www.inter-visions.com>
, Washington, DC
One Off Contemporary Art Gallery <http://www.oneoffafrica.com/associated-artists.html>
, Nairobi, Kenya
Fischer Galleries <http://www.fischergalleries.com> , Jackson,
Mississippi
Oddfellows Gallery, Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Art Photo Index, Photo Eye Santa Fe, New Mexico
MAJOR PROFESSIONAL GROUPS
Society for Photographic Education (SPE)
Women In Photography International Charter Member
SOCIAL MEDIA
FaceBook Page I Am Because We Are www.facebook.com/BettyPressPhotography
Twitter Betty Press https://twitter.com/iPhotoAfrica
UPDATE - JULY 2015 - MARCH 2016
Her Mississippi project is currently a book-in-progress. The
photographs have been included in many juried exhibitions and added
to several private and public collections. Publications including
Lens Culture, Silvershotz Magazine, South x Southeast Magazine,
Lenscratch, Rfotofolio, ACurator, Oxford American, Aint Bad, Atlanta
Photography Group and John Wall’s Southern Photographer blog
have all published her work.
In 2015 she was featured in the portfolio show sponsored by the
Atlanta Photography Group. She received an Award of Excellence
in the Mississippi Collegiate Art Faculty Juried Exhibition
and an Honorable Mention at Slow Exposures, Photography from
the Rural South in Pike County, Georgia. The Mississippi
Museum of Art and The Do Good Fund of Southern Photography
each have added several of her photographs to their permanent collections.
She was chosen to be part of 2015 ‘Ones to Watch’
by Atlanta Celebrates Photography
UPDATE: Photographer response - NO NEW UPDATES:
MARCH 2016 - APRIL 2017
Subject: Re: CHARTER GALLERY - curator Beinecke
Date: 2017-05-04 16:12
From: betty press <bettypress@gmail.com>
To: WIPI-CHARTER <members@womeninphotography.org>
Hi Jean, I looked at my file. It is fine as it is. My email and
website are correct.
Thanks for all your work.
Betty Press
Women
In Photography International Charter Member
Betty Press
Hattiesburg, MS
bettypress@gmail.com
www.bettypress.com
©Copyright
for all images remains the property of exhibited photographer, and
promotional use for Women In Photography International. All inquiries
regarding use of and purchasing image use rights must be directed
to the photographer.
File: GALLERY
& BIO complete - August 30, 2014
j-10/29
UPDATE: Photographer response - NO NEW UPDATES:
MARCH 2016 - APRIL 2017
UPDATE
FINAL: May 2017 website content 1999-2017
womeninphotography.org
file transfer to the Beinecke.
All organization files, computer, external hard drive, printed materials,
photographs,
DVDs, books, competitions files and onsite installation art
work
5/04/2015
Maerials included: Books, catalogs, invites, etc.
Betty
Press