Sarah Hadley
You know that old phrase, “This person needs no introduction”? Well, that’s for Sarah Hadley. Hearing about her from others or reading her bio will tell you why, as she has an immense skill set in the visual arts that is wrapped up in one of the most personable and friendly people you will ever meet. Yea, sure, this is my introduction for her, but entertain me for a minute, I don’t ask for much.
When I first met Sarah, it wasn’t as the talented photographer that she is, but as a curator and the founder of the Filter Photo Festival in Chicago. It wasn’t until a little later did I even find out about her photographic vision. I was already impressed anyway - I mean, starting a photography festival in a city like Chicago is a major accomplishment, and quite especially when you know how well run and successful it has been. Many in this field who do more than just photography often find a way to always mention their own work with every breath. Sarah, however, is always focused on the task at hand, and is easily known as an individual who shows up to get things done - and that goes for everything she so gracefully contributes to. Even after moving on from Filter Photo, she felt the need to put her magic touch on events and organizations such as Photo Independent and the Los Angeles Center of Photography, where she spends many hours as their Marketing Director.
Somehow in the midst of all this work she has maintained her photographic voice and is about to release her upcoming monograph, Lost Venice, published through Damiani Editore. One might say that she lives and breathes photography and the visual arts in order to dedicate herself to so many projects at once. If you think that’s impressive, it’s because it is exactly that.
I also failed to mention (on purpose) her start in the art world, but that’s only because you need to hear it from her. Sarah’s stunning new book, her early days, and the many points in between are the subject of this interview she has so thoughtfully contributed for all of us to learn from. My thanks to you, Sarah.
Night Vision, from Lost Venice
Bio -
Born and raised in Boston, Sarah Hadley had a very unusual home life. When she was just four years old, her father became the Director of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and her family moved into the apartment on the 4th floor which Mrs. Gardner had built for herself. Hadley spent the next 19 years living in a Venetian palazzo surrounded by Gardner’s eclectic collection of classic and renaissance artwork and furnishings.
Hadley went on to study Art History and Italian at Georgetown University and Photography at the Corcoran College of Art. She interned at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, Italy and later worked at the Venice Biennale, the National Gallery of Art and the Library of Congress. She lived in Chicago for twelve years and founded the Filter Photo Festival in 2009.
Hadley was named one of the “jeunes talents” by Le Monde at the Fotofever Art Fair in Paris in 2015. She has also exhibited internationally at the Porto Photo Festival (Portugal), the Lishui Photo Festival (China), the Worldwide Photography Biennial (Buenos Aires) and the Ballarat Festival (Australia). She has had solo exhibition at the Griffin Museum of Photography (Boston, MA), the Loyola Museum of Art (Chicago, IL), Afterimage Gallery (Dallas, TX), and Fabrik Projects Gallery (Los Angeles, CA). Hadley’s work has also been featured in publications and online blogs including, Elle Italia, PDN, L’Oeil de la Photographie, ArtTribune, Shots Magazine, Lenscratch.com, B+W Magazine (UK), Don’t Take Pictures and F-Stop Magazine. She has received grants from the California Center for Cultural Innovation, the Illinois Arts Council, and several fellowships from the Ragdale Foundation. Hadley currently lives and works in Los Angeles and her first monograph Lost Venice will be published by Damiani Editore in 2020.
Interview -
Michael Kirchoff: Thanks for taking the time to join me here at Catalyst: Interviews, Sarah. I appreciate the time you’re taking in your busy schedule. Why don’t we start at your start. I believe you had an interesting childhood and beginning in the arts. Could you share with us that story?
Sarah Hadley: When I was four years old, my father became the Director of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston and we moved into the apartment above the museum, which was built by Mrs. Gardner as her private residence. We lived there until I was twenty-three, so it was my childhood home. The Gardner offers more of an immersive experience than a traditional museum, as Mrs. Gardner collected not just art, but furniture, textiles and architectural elements from all over Europe. She created each room from floor to ceiling, and stipulated in her will that nothing should be moved or changed. The entire museum surrounded a courtyard which held ancient statues, a Roman mosaic, a fountain, as well as constantly blooming flowers. Mrs. Gardner also loved music and there were concerts three times a week that we could hear from our apartment. I know growing up in this magical and surreal place not only influenced my decision to become an artist, but has also deeply affected the work I create.
MK: What was it about photography that lured you into an ongoing practice? Was there ever interest in other mediums?
SH: I fell in love with photography when I took a darkroom class in eighth grade. But it was seeing an exhibition of contemporary photography when I was 21 that really motivated me to pursue fine art photography, as I realized I could use the camera as a tool to express myself. However, I didn’t start shooting seriously until a few years later when I went back to school at the Corcoran College of Art and have been hooked ever since. I also painted a lot as an undergraduate and loved that too, so have continued to paint and draw over the years, as well as mix painting and photography together.
Crossing Paris, from Story Lines
Past Future, from Story Lines
Moonrise, from Story Lines
MK: While simultaneously being immersed in the photographic field, it seems you’ve also always been involved in the production of art fairs, festivals, and portfolio review events. In fact, I first remember you as founder of the Filter Photo Festival, in Chicago. What has that been like for you, especially wanting to also keep attention on your own work? Were conflicts between the two inevitable?
SH: While Filter offered me the opportunity to meet curators and gallery owners and to get to know them as people and friends, it did take up a good deal of my time. Eventually, I stepped down in order to focus on my own art practice. I still run the portfolio reviews for LACP, but it isn’t a year round endeavor and I am able to balance my outside work with making art.
MK: Having such an involvement with these organizations over the years, and needing to always be engaging with others socially, do you feel that this has helped your photographic practice at all? Is it the face to face interactions that have helped you most?
SH: Yes, definitely meeting photographers and reviewers and getting to know them socially over the years has enriched my life and helped my practice. Before I started Filter, I only knew a handful of photographers in Chicago and I worked mostly alone. Being part of a community of photographers has given me tremendous inspiration and support, and my photography friends also provide critical feedback and career advice.
MK: What is at the core of your photography? Is there a theme that runs through everything you create?
SH: My work is always about identity, memory and place. I started out as a photojournalist and a street photographer, but transitioned about 15 years ago to working on projects that were more personal. I think of all my work as self-portraiture, as I am drawn to explore the ethereal and to create photographs based on what I feel and remember. I believe that art offers us a way to dialog with our past and to access our emotions.
Chance Encounter, from Story Lines
The Depths, from Story Lines
Reaching for the Stars, from Story Lines
What I Remember, from Story Lines
MK: What is it that inspires you to decide upon a particular project?
SH: I am inspired by places I’ve lived and by my memories and dreams. I know a project is brewing when I keep coming back to a particular subject and when I start thinking about it at night, or while I am driving or swimming. That is when I know I have found something that has gotten under my skin and I need to pursue it.
MK: What mental preparations do you make to execute a particular shoot or project that you are excited about? Do you ever look back and find that nothing you had planned is what was done, yet you feel completely satisfied with the outcome?
SH: I usually do a lot of research and writing about a subject beforehand, but don’t often plan particular shots. I believe in serendipity and chance and try to respond emotionally to my surroundings while I am shooting. For example, when I went to Venice, I shot from morning until night revisiting familiar places, trying to capture the sense of loss and melancholy I felt. Currently, I am working on a project about growing up at the Gardner Museum, so I have taken several trips to Boston and dedicated whole days to shooting in the museum. I have also spent a lot of time in the museum’s archives, as well as reading about Mrs. Gardner and the creation of the museum. Though I have amassed a lot of photographs, I’m still working editing them and figuring the best way to communicate my experiences there as a child.
MK: Was there a particular milestone or turning point in your career that set you off on a higher level than ever before? Did it change the way you work at all?
SH: I would say that there have been many encouraging milestones along the way that have kept me inspired and motivated. Moving to Los Angeles really changed everything, as it coincided with showing work at an international fair and in a museum for the first time. That really transformed the way I thought about my own work, and made me more serious about my art and my career.
MK: On the technical side of things, what are the tools you are using to make your images? Are you a film, digital, or both kind of photographer? Does it really matter what you use?
SH: I was a film photographer for many years but switched almost entirely to digital in about 2002. I also paint, draw, collage and create cyanotypes, so to me, only the final product matters.
MK: What do you feel are the key elements used to tap into creativity? Is there some kind of formula necessary?
SH: Just time. I love to have long stretches of time to create, as that is when I can really delve into a project. I have done a few residencies and those have been incredible. Having full days to shoot and contemplate my art is a luxury. However, I find if I can devote a few hours a day on a consistent basis, that I can move forward on a project, as it starts to seep into my consciousness.
MK: Once you’ve achieved finding your particular style or voice, do you ever feel the need to break out and follow a different path?
SH: I think there is a certain surrealistic and dream-like quality to everything I create. While my projects may appear different in some respects, I’m always drawn to the same themes. Sometimes, I get inspired to try different techniques or mediums, but the core subjects stay the same.
Mysterious Palazzo, from Lost Venice
Pellestrina, from Lost Venice
Palazzo Risplendente, from Lost Venice
MK: As we begin to near the end of the interview, I have to bring up your beautiful new monograph, soon to be released - Lost Venice. Was this a labor of love? What was your experience in designing and producing the book? And lastly, what steps are you taking once it has been released?
SH: Lost Venice has been a labor of love for many years. I fell in love with Venice in the 80’s but didn’t start this project until 2006 and have been exploring it for over 10 years. I made a handmade book of the work two years ago, so that started me thinking about the bookmaking process. It has been challenging to create a monograph, as there are so many decisions in bookmaking that you don’t have in photography, like font and text size, covers, endpapers etc. I have been working with a great designer for over 6 months, who has masterfully sequenced the images and guided me through the process. I am showing some of the series at Fotofever in Paris and once it is released, I have book signings lined up in NY and LA in 2020.
MK: In addition, I have to ask the obvious question. Why Venice? What is it about the subject that drew you to make this work?
SH: I always felt a deep connection to the city, as Mrs. Gardner built her museum as a Venetian palace. My father’s job as Director also took us to Venice often when I was a child and I always found the maze of streets and canals fascinating. I then lived and worked there in my 20’s and had a really transformational experience in that city, being on my own surrounded by art and artists. My father died shortly thereafter, and so I felt compelled to create a series about the loss I experienced. Venice seemed the obvious place to do it, as we had spent lots of time there together, and it was reminiscent of my childhood home.
Sunday Morning, from Lost Venice
Ascension, from Lost Venice
On the Lagoon, from Lost Venice
MK: I always like to ask those with a lifetime of experience in photography if they have any thoughts or advice for those willing to take the plunge into photography as a career. Any words of wisdom?
SH: If you really love it, then go for it and shoot as much as you can and take classes from master photographers. Also, learn the history of photography and know what is happening in the current scene. I think photography is accessible to anyone, but you have to commit yourself. Find others who are passionate as well and a mentor to help guide you along the way. Photography seems easy, but it demands perseverance and you have to accept a lot of rejection along the way.
MK: You have both now and always been extremely busy in your endeavors, and you have laid this out for all of us to see and learn from. Still, I have one final question to ask - what’s next? Where will we find you and your stunning photographs in the future?
SH: In addition to Fotofever in November, I will be showing work with many talented women again in the Building Bridges exhibition All Women are Dangerous II which opens in mid-December.
MK: My sincere thanks to you Sarah for all of your efforts. The photographs, festivals, and knowledge you have shared mean so much to so many. I’m truly happy we had this chance to discuss your methods and experiences. I look forward to holding your new book in my hands and losing myself in the images you’ve created.
SH: Thank you for everything you are doing for other artists and for this opportunity!
You can find more of Sarah's work on her website here.
You can order your own copy of Lost Venice here.
All photographs, ©Sarah Hadley.
