Tannin encouraged all her subjects to decide how they wished to be memorialized by her camera lens. At the conclusion of this project, Tannin returned to each photographed artist with two mounted prints: one for the participant to keep and one for them to sign—or, if they so desired, to add a simple thought in pencil to the front of the work which would act as an additional means of keeping their voice alive for generations of viewers to come.
Harriet Tannin earned her Master of Fine Arts degree from SUNY New Paltz in 1975. These photographs were generously donated to the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art by Harriet’s husband, Dr. Albert H. Tannin.
In 1981, Woodstock artist and photographer Harriet Tannin (1929–2009) began to create a series of portraits of artists who were residents of this well-known and vibrant artistic community. The goal of Tannin’s project was to produce 100 portraits which would not only capture their diversity and spirit but to also provide a glimpse into the type of works they produced in their Woodstock studios. The result of this monumental undertaking, 100 Portraits of Woodstock Artists, was completed in 1983.
Be Who You Are
Portraits of Woodstock Artists by Harriet Tannin
4 February 2023 – 23 July 2023
Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art
State University of New York at New Paltz
SUNY New Paltz 1 Hawk Drive, New Paltz, NY 12561
https://www.newpaltz.edu
Harriet Tannin, Al Held, 1983, Collection Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, SUNY New Paltz, Gift of Dr. Albert H. Tannin
Harriet Tannin, Brock, 1981, Collection Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, SUNY New Paltz, Gift of Dr. Albert H. Tannin
Harriet Tannin, Mary Frank, 1982, Collection Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, SUNY New Paltz, Gift of Albert H. Tannin
