I find myself drawn to investigate the gestures (so often occurring, so little discussed) of not looking, not seeing, and not recording that occur … within acts of photography.

-Joanne Leonard

Belle Isle Viewing Room is pleased to present an exhibition of photographic works by Joanne Leonard, accompanied by the launch of a catalog of works by the artist, featuring an essay written by Laura Larson, 2023 Guggenheim Fellow in Photography.

Spanning over five decades, Joanne Leonard’s studio practice has been multi-faceted and prolific. Ranging from uniquely vignetted images of children gleefully playing in her West Oakland neighborhood in the 1960s, to considered comparisons of moments in the artist’s own life and world events, to intimate portraits of domesticity, Leonard’s work challenges the idea of what images and narratives deserve to be highlighted and asks the viewer to reconsider how moments private  intimacy are displayed for a public audience.

Joanne Leonard is a Diane M. Kirkpatrick and Griselda Pollock Distinguished University Professor of Art and Women’s Studies Emeritus at the University of Michigan and has work in the collections of major institutions including the Museum of Modern Art in New York.