Schneider’s portraits of her children, some nude, on display in Phoenix
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Correction Appended
The best art inspires introspection and inquisitiveness, the same qualities Betsy Schneider sees in her children. But her most recent exhibit, which features nude photographs of those children, has raised some controversy.
The exhibit has been on display in downtown Phoenix since Aug. 15, but September’s First Friday art walk — Friday from 6 to 10 p.m. — could bring many people face to face with the exhibit for the first time.
Schneider, an associate professor in the Herberger College of the Arts’ School of Art, has taught at ASU since 2002. This is the first time her project, which she refers to as the “Photo of the Day,” has been displayed locally. Her work currently hangs at the Kitchenette gallery, at Roosevelt and Sixth streets in Phoenix.
Kitchenette represents a collection of 11 photographers who display their work on a monthly rotation. The exhibit, titled “That Enthralling Gallop” after a poem by Emily Dickinson, features photographs from Schneider’s project along with work from two ASU graduates, Desiree Edkins and Jose Sosa.
Schneider said started taking pictures the day her daughter was born. At the time, she resolved to take a photo every day for a year and see where they led her. She says it became a ritual and she continued to take a photo every morning.
Schneider’s display contains 120 chronologically arranged photographs of her children from the 15th day of each month. Her daughter, now 10 years old, grows in leaps and bounds in the photos that range from the day of her birth to December.
Not every photo these days is nude, but Schneider explained she is still fascinated by time’s effect on the body.
When her son was born, Schneider began to photograph him as well, not wanting him to feel left out later in life.
Some people, however, still see problems with Schneider’s approach to motherhood. When she placed three posters of her project in a London gallery in 2004, she faced heavy censorship. Her work was on display for half a day, during which numerous complaints forced the gallery’s curators to remove it.
Back in the U.S., Schneider said she never had trouble with censorship but has her share of critics.
The day before Schneider’s work debuted at the Kitchenette gallery, the Phoenix New Times ran a feature of her story and her work.
Examples of Schneider’s work accompanied the article, raising legal concerns over the dissemination of child pornography, but Phoenix New Times editors have defended their decision to publish both photos of Schneider’s children and their names, as the story earned national press.
“I knew the New Times would be provocative,” Schneider said. “My kids are a little baffled as to why people have a problem with the pictures.”
Schneider said she also has plenty of allies, including her husband, students, colleagues and the University. Kwang-Wu Kim, dean of the Herberger College, issued a statement of support, calling those who characterize Schneider’s work as pornography “distasteful.”
Sosa, a former student of Schneider’s who graduated this year with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in photography, has five color portraits in the gallery. The entire exhibit focuses on family photographs, particularly of children, he said. Sosa rejects the idea that the gallery contains child pornography.
“It’s been a long project,” Sosa added. “I was excited to be a part of it. I hope people do some research on the artist and the art before they make a decision.”
For Schneider, the project is all about the energy and beauty of childhood, she said. Put together, “it became something aesthetic.”
Correction: A statement from Kwang-Wu Kim, dean of the Herberger College of the Arts, was misquoted in this story.
Kim’s statement reads:
“Betsy Schneider is a distinguished faculty member of the Herberger College of the Arts at Arizona State University. She has been acclaimed around the world for the beauty and power of her images. As is true of all art, Betsy’s work evokes powerful responses in her viewers.
“From the day they were born, Betsy Schneider has been documenting the growth of her children through a series of photographs. Through a mother’s eyes, images of her children, naked and happy, are beautiful.
“Not surprisingly, Betsy has encountered opposition to the public display of these photographs. This can be uncomfortable and sensitive territory and Betsy has accepted her responsibility to be a thoughtful participant in the ongoing conversation about the depiction of children in the media.
“We recognize the right of viewers to dislike Betsy’s work and to find it distasteful. At the same time, we completely disagree with the characterization of her work as pornographic and defend her right to have this work displayed and seen by the public.”
Reach the reporter at channing.turner@asu.edu.
