Home

Image Title: Matrilinear #13 from the series Matrilinear
Elizabeth M. Claffey is an Assistant Professor of Photography at Indiana University in Bloomington and a 2019-20 Research Fellow at The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction. She has an MFA in Studio Art from Texas Woman’s University, where she also earned a Graduate Certificate in Women’s Studies. In 2012, she was awarded a William J. Fulbright Fellowship. Elizabeth’s work focuses identity, kinship, isolation, issues of the body, family history, and cultural/institutional practices. Among others, her work has been recognized by PDN Magazine, Center Santa Fe, The Eddie Adams Workshop, and Don’t Take Pictures Magazine.

“Matrilinear is a photographic series that addresses embodied memory and its relationship to personal, familial, and cultural identity. These images examine family folklore, ritual, and mnemonic objects passed down through generations of women. The photographs of each object reveal the physical remnants of a body long gone; including stains, tears, and loose thread from clothing that was kept close to the body for comfort and protection. The stitching and/or photographic representations are both a visualization and an expansion of stories shared as family lore. These interruptions also represent the deep influence of one’s familial past on personal identity and perceptions of the body. “ – Elizabeth M. Claffey

Have questions about the conference? Send us a message:

---