Paths
A dozen years ago, I went to an art show that changed my life.
A new friend, who had patiently washed sushi rice 5-10 times to my precise specifications (a story for another day), invited me to join her and two of her friends to see the photographs of Vivian Maier. There was quite a buzz around Maier at that time with the kind of backstory that sells papers and piques interest. Born in New York City in the 20s to a French mother and Austrian father, she had hopped back and forth between the States and France until age 25. Before her main profession, she had worked in a NYC sweatshop. She then moved to Chicagoland where she was a nanny for the next 40 years.
She would often go downtown alone (and sometimes with her charges in tow) and take arresting photos of Chicago’s inhabitants such as workers under the L, children playing or more likely working, families passing storefronts, and spectacles.
And in her hometown of New York.
Back to that exhibition, Finding Vivian Maier: Chicago Street Photographer, 2011. Shortly before Maier passed away, a trove of photographs and numerous negatives were found. Most of her negatives had never been developed. She had spent her last years destitute and unable to pay her rent and storage. As a result, the bulk of her work was snapped up for a song. Images were shared online, and not surprisingly, the public was eager for more. And from that, a lovely show at the Chicago Cultural Center captivated countless visitors and art lovers. Looking at each image with my old and two strangers was the gel for two friendships that are now incredibly deep twelve years later. Here’s to new paths!
