An exhibition at Mills College Art Museum celebrates the work of two women working with photo-manipulation.

Northern California figures prominently in photography’s western 20th-century history. Far from New York and the orbital pull of Stieglitz and Steichen, some of the medium’s female luminaries who lived on the west coast - Imogen Cunningham and Ruth Bernhard particularly - experimented with techniques and subjects that departed from strict definitions of “straight” photography. Building on that legacy, Mills College Art Museum (MCAM) celebrates the work of Jennifer Brandon and Jay Defeo - one current and one former professor at the prestigious all women’s college - who pursue material manipulation as aesthetic expression. Curated by MCAM director Dr. Stephanie Heron, the exhibition is on view through March 12, 2018.

Exhibition review by Roula Seikaly