ISABEL BARTON

     I am an artist—photographer, filmmaker, and writer—born in Venezuela and living in New York State since 1974.

My work is primarily conceptual, engaging in themes of time and space, as well as the plight of women across social contexts and the struggles of developing countries to achieve freedom, respect, and recognition of their histories and cultures.

     Education: In 1972, I became the first woman to receive Venezuela’s Premio Nacional de Fotografía. In 1974 I attended the San Francisco Arts Institute and in 1976 earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan. In 1979, I joined Esto Photographics, where I worked under the mentorship of master architectural photographer Ezra Stoller. My photographs were published in Architectural Digest, Town & Country, and Metropolis, among others.

     Art photography: exhibitions include the Center for Inter-American Relations (New York City), the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University (New Jersey), and the Museum of Contemporary Art (Atlanta, Georgia).

Portraits of artists include Keith Haring, Philip Glass, Marisol, Jesús Soto, Mercedes Pardo and Rolando Peña. Their portraits were published in catalogues, magazines and posters.

     Short films: screenings include the Nohra Haime Gallery (NYC), Pauline Oliveros’s Deep Listening Institute (Kingston, NY), and the Mead Museum (Amherst, MA), as well as at the Woodstock Film Festival and FilmColumbia Festival. A feature film written and produced in collaboration with director Mariana Hellmund, won national awards at FilmColumbia Festival and Orlando Festiva and screened at international Havanna International Film Festival and Mérida International Film Festival.

     Since 2003, I have been working in collaboration with Hortensia Berti, a member of the Kamarakoto people of the Venezuelan Amazon, to document and preserve the endangered oral history and teachings of her community. This ongoing project continues to safeguard and celebrate their cultural legacy.

     See below for Awards and Grants received.

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     Portrait by Hannah Casey