Kristen lubben susan meiselas biography

  With a great need to understand and examine the subjects in her photographs rather than just document them, Susan Meiselas (b.

1948) is a brilliant spark in the art world as she is a photographer, filmmaker, archivist, curator and teacher who captures pivotal cultural moments in the most raw and captivating of ways.

Best known for her work documenting the political upheaval in Central America during the 1970s and '80s, American photographer Susan Meiselas has been at the forefront of ethical debates around documentary photography for most of her career.

Being raised by a mother who was actively involved in the Open Housing movement in the 1960s, Meiselas’ became rapidly aware of the social issues around her.

  In 1970, with great pursuit of her passions, she received a B.A.

in anthropology and urban education from Sarah Lawrence College and only a year later an Ed.M. in Visual Education from Harvard. During her studies, she dabbled in film editing under Frederick Wiseman, a documentary filmmaker who focused on specific places and how they reflect society at large.

From 1972-1974, Meiselas began to teach in New York public schools and would spend her summers photographing women who