Update September 2004

WIPI is happy to annouce that Sylvia Plachy, Hungarian born photographer will receive our Distinguished Photographers Award in collaboration with the IPA 2004 Lucie Awards in New York City, on October 18th. Check the website home page for PR updates and bio info which should be uploaded by Sept. 15.

Hello, we've been so busy and our website is now over 700 pages full of wonderful information and contacts to talented women working in the field of photography. We will be updating the site in July, just as soon as we finish the virtual * visual call for entries. We will also be updatiang the Member Link section. During August/September, we will create a cross reference file of photo classifications. So if you are a current member, please visit the Survey page and resubmit an undated survey for our data bank and online listing.

The "virtual * visual" exhibition curated by Carrie Villines was a great success and we are very greatful for the wonderful jurors who signed on to make the selection. Stephanie Flack was the grand prize juror choice.

WIPI is has created a new online call for entries "Decisive Moments" a WIPI tribute to the late Henri Cartier-Bresson. The deadline is December 1st and the gallery will be uploaded in mid January.

Take a moment to visit our galleries and cruise through the archives for articles about a variety of well known member photographers incredible and interesting work. See our member PhotoProfiles and visit the Historical bibliography of the Women In Photography International Archive founded by the late Peter E. Palmquist in our Reference Library. Our online resrouce section is full of important contacts. We've accomplished many wonderful projects over the past 4 years, including our 20th Anniversary Tea Time exhibition and presence at Stephen Cohen's photo l.a. 2002 and 2003 and 2004!. We appreciate all who have volunteered or sponsored us in our goals to bring visibility to women working in the photographic arts.

Thank you,

Jean Ferro
PhotoArtist/President

2004 Lucie Awards honorees and nominies

2003 Distinguished Photographers Award nominees included:
Uta Barth, Lillian Bassman, Jodi Cobb, Annie Leibovitz, Helen Levitt, Sally Mann, Annette Messager, Catherine Opie, Cindy Sherman, Carrie Mae Weems, Mariana Yampolsky
International Photo Awards Gala Award Banquet
See photos by WIPI Pro member Catherine Bauknight

WIPI Is looking for an umbrella for the organization!

Re: Women In Photography International - Changes & Expansion Women In Photography International is currently seeking to expand its professional network by merging with a university or foundation that has an established history of commitment to the photographic arts.

Founded in 1981, WIPI, a nonprofit, 501.c3 organization, (headquartered in Los Angeles) has successfully fulfilled it's raison d'être: To promote the visibility of women photographers and their work. This has been achieved by providing:

1. worldwide professional networks
2. online educational resources & member galleries
3. historical database of women photographers
4. on-going exhibitions & gallery affiliations
5. workshops & lecture programs
6. competitions, including the WIPI 20th Anniversary Exhibition ÒTea Time, Images of Women, Images of TeaÓ and renown, collectors exhibition Photo L.A.
7. quarterly publications, which is the foundation of our current website and online gallery: www.wipi.org, reaching over 50,000 viewers a month

With Women In Photography Intl's steady growth, we feel it is the ideal time to seek out an "umbrella" organization that will allow us to continue fulfilling the needs of the growing numbers of women entering the field of photography. With such a liaison, WIPI could expand it's administrative staff, physical offices and increase services to it's membership in the international photographic community.

We trust that our recent sponsors - Kodak Foundation, Epson America, The Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Dept., The Stephen Cohen Gallery, Pierce College Foundation, Maryann Charis House of Photographic Art, The Lomographic Society and Allworth Book Publishers - along with the many talented women working in the field of photography - will support this quest.

In addition to serving an international network of photographers, Women in Photography International has been devoted to preserving and perpetuating a west coast presence for women working in the photographic arts with it's extend outreach throughout the USA and Internationally. It's with this in mind that we "fling down the gauntlet" to west coast universities, museums and educational agencies (with accredited histories of commitment to the work of women photographers) ~ challenging them to "pick up" the 20 year legacy of Women in Photography International, the nonprofit organization, and move forward!

There are so many doors to be opened, opportunities to grasp and artists to encourage. WIPI has long met community needs for lecture programs, educational workshops, exhibitions and regional conferences that focus specifically on women working in the photographic arts. Just think how much more can be accomplished once a liaison with a university or museum is firmly in place?

For over ten years, we worked hand-in-hand with our beloved silent partner, historian & curator Peter Palmquist, (1937-2003) who encouraged us to "never give up" the quest to serve and preserve the work of women photographers. Peter contributed historical profiles from his Women in Photography International Archive to our online publication: F2. Together we strove to reach out to women photographers - those established and those yet unknown - to let them know they mattered and that their work would not be lost because WIPI would be their record.

It's with this raision d'être in mind that we are now approaching the most esteemed curators, directors and overseers of women's role in the history of photography on the west coast. Our goal is to link up and soar! Please contact us to discuss the possibilities!

We invite you to learn more about Women in Photography International by taking a tour of our website: www.womeninphotography.org or www.wipi.org

President's letters, Starting July 2000 WIPI News archive