What They Saw Reading Room at Enter Enter. Courtesy of 10 x 10 Photobooks.

Women Photographers International Archive (WOPHA), in collaboration with 10 x 10 Photobooks and Miami-Dade Public Library, proudly presents “What They Saw: Historical Photobooks by Women Reading Room”—a hands-on touring exhibition focused on historically significant yet under-recognized photobooks by women.

Following acclaimed showings at the New York Public Library and the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, WOPHA is thrilled to bring this pioneer exhibition to the Miami-Dade Public Library as part of the second edition of the WOPHA Congress, “How Photography Teaches Us to Live Now.” This exhibition explores a relatively new field of study—photobook history—where women’s contributions have been largely overlooked. While the first major “book-on-books” anthology emerged only in 1999 with Fotografía Pública / Photography in Print 1919–1939, the past two decades have seen a proliferation of such works; however, photobooks by women remain scarce in these collections.

The “What They Saw” Reading Room reexamines photobook history through a female lens, offering a diverse selection of works from 1843 to 1999 that spans continents, cultures, and artistic expressions. The exhibition features an expansive interpretation of the photobook genre, including classic bound books, portfolios, personal albums, zines, scrapbooks, and unpublished works. The exhibition also confronts the glaring gaps in current photobook history, particularly the underrepresentation of non-Western women and women of color.

As part of the 2024 WOPHA Congress programming, the Miami iteration also showcases photobooks by contemporary South Florida women photographers, highlighting the ongoing contributions of women in the field. 

“What They Saw: Historical Photobooks by Women Reading Room” and its associated publication is a visionary project conceived by 10×10 Photobooks, realized in Miami through a partnership with WOPHA and Miami-Dade Public Library, with additional support from University of Miami Libraries and Special Collections. The reading room in Miami is organized by Amanda Bradley and Zonia Zena, under the guidance of Aldeide Delgado, Russet Lederman, and Olga Yatskevich.

This event is part of the 2024 WOPHA Congress “How Photography Teaches Us to Live Now.” This four-day creative convening is co-presented by Women Photographers International Archive (WOPHA) and Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM). The Congress will take place at PAMM and various other locations across South Florida from October 23-26, 2024.

About the Congress

The WOPHA Congress is a creative convening and exhibition series held at the Pérez Art Museum Miami and virtually, with parallel activations taking place across South Florida from October 23 – 26, 2024. It aims to establish a critical space for photography by bringing together worldwide organizations of women photographers, art historians, theorists, and curators with a goal to enrich and more accurately represent the dynamic history of women photographers from the nineteenth century to the present day. This event showcases both seminal and emerging research and discourse in the field, encompassing national and international discussions on women and feminisms in the history of photography. Additionally, it serves as a platform to celebrate women and foster an unparalleled network for the international community of women in the photographic arts.

About WOPHA

Women Photographers International Archive (WOPHA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded by Latinx art historian and curator Aldeide Delgado to research, promote, support, and educate on the contributions of women and non-binary photographers to modern and contemporary art in order to rewrite the artistic canon and provoke social change. WOPHA fosters a more diverse and equitable world by providing a permanent archive for future generations that preserves, documents, and promotes women photographers’ work while being a driving force for innovative thinking and discussion about the role of women in photographic arts.

About 10×10 Photobooks

10×10 Photobooks is a community-oriented organization that champions and facilitates thoughtful and passionate engagement with the photobook through a focus on contemporary practice, overlooked publications, stories and creators in photobook histories. 10×10 is a visionary leader in the photobook field, supporting diversity and creative exchange through public photobook events, including reading rooms, salons, publications, grants and partnerships with arts organizations.

About the Library

The Miami‑Dade Public Library System’s Art Services and Exhibitions Division maintains a permanent collection of over 7,000 works of art. This special collection includes works on paper, photographs, paintings, artists’ books, multiples, and small sculptures, with a focus on African American, Latino, and Miami artists. The Permanent Art Collection is a reference resource that reflects Miami’s cultural composition and chronicles its artistic and social history.

Many works relate to language, libraries, and literary themes. The over 2,000 artists represented in the collection include Purvis Young, Edward Ruscha, Gleason Waite Romer, Kabuya Pamela Bowens, Carl Van Vechten, Lynn Golub Gelfman, Emilio Sanchez, Elizabeth Catlett, Jacob Lawrence, Agustín Fernandez, Gary L. Moore, Christian Marclay, and Fernando Garcia.

The Library System has a long history of cultural and educational exhibitions and makes a special call to artists on a rolling basis for temporary exhibitions that correspond to selected annual themes and/or that highlight the library’s permanent art collection and services. Additionally, the Vasari Project is an archive that documents the development of the visual arts in Miami‑Dade County since 1945. Each branch of the library exhibits artwork from the Library’s Permanent Collection and this artwork is often rotated.

Follow Us
@wophafoundation #wophafoundation @wophacongress #wophacongress

Communications and Media Relations
A&O PR
+1 (347) 395 4155
communications@wopha.org

Media Accreditation
For media accreditation for the WOPHA Congress, please contact: communications@wopha.org