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receive a complimentary copy of the catalog containing three essays on the life and work of Melissa Shook, as well as reproductions of her photography and sculptures from the two-part exhibition
light refreshments will be served
for more information, email us at: UHGallery@umb.edu
About the exhibition and catalog:
Co-curated by Senior Lecturer II in Art History, Carol G.J. Scollans and Gallery Director, Sam Toabe
Presented in a two-part exhibition at the University Hall Gallery and in the Walter Grossman Memorial Gallery on the fifth floor of the Healey Library, Melissa Shook: Inside and Out, brought together photographs, video works, objects, and ephemera spanning six decades to honor the life’s work of artist, educator, and activist Melissa Shook (1939-2020). Best known for her self-portraits and documentary style photography representing and humanizing marginalized peoples – including Queer folks, the homeless, immigrants, and the elderly – Shook’s practice expanded throughout her career to include writing, book making, drawing, sculpture, video art, and social practice art through direct action and mutual aid projects. Shook joined UMass Boston in 1979, where she taught photography in the Art & Art History Department for thirty-three years, leaving an indelible mark on the department’s pedagogy and inspiring generations of students. The catalog, which we will be releasing as part of the closing reception, includes an introduction by the Gallery Director Sam Toabe, an historicizing essay by the co-curator Carol G.J. Scollans, and texts by Professor of Art Margaret Hart and Melissa’s daughter, Kristina Shook.
Our presentation in the University Hall Gallery, which closed in October, presented the personal side of her practice, photographing and writing about her own life, as well as sculptural works and video experiments. In the Grossman Gallery a large selection of her series The Streets are for Nobody, along with archival materials reproduced from the Healey Library’s collection of Melissa’s papers, along with handmade books, sculptural objects, and a collection of her film and pinhole cameras. The latter has been extended through January 28th.
If you are unable to attend this event on 1.26.23, you can pick up a copy of the catalog by visiting the University Hall Gallery during our open hours, Monday–Saturday 12-5PM, any time after the 26th. Please email us with any questions about obtaining a copy: uhgallery@umb.edu
We are also thrilled to announce the establishment of The Melissa Shook Documentary Photography Award in Melissa’s honor. This Fund will provide an annual prize to one or more students or graduating seniors who demonstrate exceptional skill or promise in photography, with a preference for documentary photography skills. It will be presented this year for the first time to Chloe Tomasetta whose photographic work in 2021 documented busy street scenes in Boston’s historic Hay Market during the height of the pandemic. The exhibitions and catalog are supported by the Paul Hayes Tucker Fund, as well as a generous gift by Caleb Stewart '82 and his husband Richard Snow. The Melissa Shook Documentary Photography Award is made possible with a generous gift by Nancy Lutz '82 and her husband Wendell. We would like to thank The Estate of M. Melissa Shook for their support of the entire program, lending the majority of the artworks for both exhibitions.
To contribute to the Melissa Shook Documentary Photography Award, please donate via this link here:
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