A new exhibition at the Princeton University Art Museum, titled "Photography as a Way of Life," celebrates the photographers who helped establish art photography as a serious movement from the 1940s to the 1970s. The show features works by Minor White, Aaron Siskind, Harry Callahan, and others, including images by Ming Smith, Donna-Lee Phillips, and Walter Chappell. The exhibition runs until September 7 and highlights how these educators and artists transformed photography's role in both the art world and higher education.
The exhibition matters because it recognizes a pivotal generation of photographer-teachers who elevated photography from a technical craft to a respected fine art discipline. By showcasing the work of figures like Minor White—founder of Aperture magazine—and Harry Callahan, who integrated photography into university curricula, the show underscores how their teaching and practice shaped contemporary photographic education and artistic standards. It also brings attention to lesser-known but influential artists like Ming Smith, the first African-American woman in MoMA's photography collection.