Phyllis Graber Jensen: Picture Stories

Phyllis Graber Jensen: Picture Stories
Jun 12, 2026 – Sep 19, 2026

United States United States — University Museum
Olin Arts Center 75 Russell Street
Lewiston, ME 04240

Phyllis Graber Jensen: Picture Stories offers an expansive look at a career devoted to visual storytelling, chronicling more than five decades of social change, daily life, and institutional history. On view from June 12 to September 19, 2026, the exhibition traces Jensen’s evolution as a photographer, beginning with her early work documenting the women’s liberation movement in Denmark during the 1970s and extending through her years in American newsrooms and academic life in Maine. Together, these images reveal a photographer deeply attuned to photography’s power as both communication and record.

Throughout her career, Jensen has approached photography as a form of narrative construction—one that connects people, events, and context with clarity and restraint. Her years working for major news organizations sharpened her ability to observe quickly and frame decisively, while her long tenure at Bates College reflects a sustained commitment to documenting community over time. The exhibition brings together newly printed photographs and archival works, presented alongside magazines, newspaper pages, and ephemera that trace how images circulate, gain meaning, and shape public memory.

A central theme of Picture Stories is the life of a photograph beyond the moment it is made. By placing finished images in dialogue with drafts, publications, and supporting materials, the exhibition invites viewers to consider the editorial decisions, cultural contexts, and ethical responsibilities that define photojournalism. Jensen’s work demonstrates how photographs function not only as visual evidence, but as carefully constructed stories that inform, persuade, and endure.

The exhibition is accompanied by a newly published book celebrating thirty years of Jensen’s photographic record at Bates College, created in collaboration with the Office of Communications and Marketing. Curated by Dr. Carrie Cushman and supported by the Jane Costello Wellehan Endowment Fund and the Alex Katz Foundation, Phyllis Graber Jensen: Picture Stories affirms the lasting value of photography grounded in observation, integrity, and a deep respect for the communities it represents.

Image: Phyllis Graber Jensen, Little Karin, 1975, Gelatin silver print, Courtesy of the artist © Phyllis Graber Jensen


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