Sofia Valiente. Untitled (Domino Tournament), 2016. © Sofia Valiente. Courtesy of the artist.

“Women Photographers­––Shared Documentary Narratives” presents the influential roles of three prominent South Florida women photographers—Maggie Steber, Silvia Lizama, and Peggy Nolan—as artists but also as professors and mentors. The exhibition highlights their profound impact on the photographic landscape and underscores the intricate personal, aesthetic, and conceptual connections between these master photographers and their mentees: Elisa Benedetti, RemiJin Camping, and Sofia Valiente, respectively.

Presented alongside the 2024 WOPHA Congress, which emphasizes women, photography, and pedagogies, “Women Photographers­––Shared Documentary Narratives” is part of a broader initiative to develop a curriculum that celebrates the contributions of women to Miami’s photographic history. The exhibit offers a unique perspective on crucial themes related to South Florida, showcasing artwork from the 1980s to the present that moves beyond common tropes of Miami’s collective imaginary. It delves into a more reflective, subjective, and at times, poetic documentation of the region’s dynamic sociocultural landscape.

“Women Photographers­––Shared Documentary Narratives” seeks to challenge traditional notions of documentary photography by adopting a participatory approach, inviting viewers to engage with the artwork and providing tools to interpret Miami’s multifaceted identity on their own terms. The exhibition showcases the artistic achievements of these six women photographers while serving as a platform for dialogue and learning. It emphasizes the importance of mentorship and the transmission of knowledge and skills across generations. By centering on contemporary women photographers, it empowers and amplifies their voices, asserting their significant role in the history of Miami photography from a documentary lens.

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 occur at PAMM and various other locations across South Florida from October 23-26, 2024.

About the Artists

Maggie Steber is a renowned documentary photographer who has worked in 67 countries, focusing on humanistic stories. Her accolades include a Guggenheim Foundation grant, the Leica Medal of Excellence, World Press Photo awards, and the Overseas Press Club honors. Steber has spent over three decades documenting Haiti, with her work featured in the monograph “Dancing on Fire” published by Aperture. She was named one of National Geographic’s Women of Vision in 2013. Steber has served as a Newsweek contract photographer and Assistant Managing Editor of Photography at The Miami Herald, overseeing Pulitzer Prize-winning projects. She teaches and exhibits internationally.

Elisa Benedetti born in Caracas, Venezuela, discovered her passion for photography through her father’s hobby. She spent her childhood weekends assisting him in the darkroom, sparking a lifelong interest in the medium. Surrounded by photographic books, Elisa pursued formal training to refine her skills from analog to digital photography. Following her father’s passing in 2018, Benedetti moved to Miami, transitioning photography from a cherished hobby to a professional career. She has since exhibited at The Palm Beach Art Basel and the FUNDANA Art Show in Miami. Elisa’s work spans various genres, with a primary focus on street and documentary photography, capturing the extraordinary in everyday life.

Silvia Lizama, a photographic artist with roots in Havana, Cuba, migrated to South Florida in 1960, where she laid the foundation for her career as an artist and educator. Her dedication to her craft led her to earn a BFA from Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida, followed by an MFA from the prestigious Rochester Institute of Technology in New York. For over 37-years, Silvia was a Professor of Photography and served as Chair of the Department of Fine Arts. Her profound impact on countless students and the art community at large earned her the distinguished title of Professor Emerita. Throughout her career, Silvia Lizama’s award winning hand-colored photographs have been showcased across the Americas and Spain. Her journey through art continues to inspire and shape the world around her.

RemiJin Camping is a Filipina-American photographic artist and Assistant Professor of Photography at Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida. She holds dual Bachelor’s degrees in Music and Photography and an MFA in Photography. RemiJin’s work delves into the human condition, reinterpreting stories and emotions through objects and landscapes. A Critical Mass 2022 top 200 Finalist, her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including at the Thousand Islands Art Center in New York, the MIFA Gallery in Miami, and the CAMP Gallery in North Miami.

Peggy Levison Nolan (b. 1944) raised her seven children in working-class neighborhoods in the Miami area, where her family life became the subject of her photography. Nolan’s work captures the resilience, joy, and challenges of family life, reflecting a collective nostalgia for home and relationships. Although she discovered photography later in life, it quickly became integral to her daily routine. Inspired by domestic spaces, Nolan’s candid, organic images often draw on street photography traditions. She earned her BFA from Florida International University in 1990 and her MFA in 2001. She lives in Hollywood, Florida.

Sofia Valiente is a Los Angeles-based photographer and storyteller. She earned her BFA from Florida International University and her MFA from the University of California, Riverside. Valiente gained international acclaim with her first book “Miracle Village,” which earned her the 2015 World Press Photo award. She is a two-time recipient of the South Florida Cultural Consortium Artist Fellowship and received Burn Magazine’s Young Talent Award. In 2019, she self-published “Foreverglades” and created a public art installation supported by the Knight Foundation. Valiente’s work appears in prominent publications, including The New York Times, Time Lightbox, and VICE.

About the Curator

Aldeide Delgado is a Cuban-born, Miami-based independent Latinx art historian and curator, and the founder & director of Women Photographers International Archive (WOPHA). With eight years of experience, Delgado has lectured at prestigious institutions like Tate Modern, The Clark Institute, and Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM). She is a recipient of the 2023 Ellies Creator Award, the 2019 Knight Arts Challenge award, the 2018 School of Art Criticism Fellowship by SAPS – La Tallera, and the 2017 Research and Production of Critic Essay Fellowship by TEOR/éTica. Delgado conceptualized the world’s first feminist photography collective conference, WOPHA Congress, in 2021 and 2024. Her work focuses on feminist and decolonial perspectives in photography within Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx contexts. She is pursuing an MA in Liberal Studies at Rutgers University.

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 the Museum

HistoryMiami Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate located in downtown Miami, safeguards and shares Miami stories to foster learning, inspire a sense of place, and cultivate an engaged community. We connect people by telling the stories of our communities, individuals, places and events. Every exhibition, artistic endeavor, city tour, educational program, research effort and publication we present is another step closer to everyone understanding the critical value of the past in shaping our collective future.

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