The University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA) invites visitors to “come help build [their] collection of “ordinary” American 20th-century photographs.” The exhibition Take Your Pick: Collecting Found Photographs, which will be on display through January 12, 2020, features over 1,000 amateur photographs from the 20th century. The photographs are on loan from the private collection of Peter J. Cohen, who has amassed more than 60,000 photographs from flea markets across the United States and Europe. Visitors may vote on their favorites, and the photographs with the most votes will be added to UMMA’s permanent collection.
In addition to being visitor-interactive, this exhibition asks some interesting questions regarding the definitions of art: “What belongs in a permanent collection, and why? Who and what should be represented, and how should we decide?” As is noted on the exhibition webpage, this collection of original photographs is of special significance in today’s digital age, when most photos only ever exist as files on an electronic device.
Be a part of the dialogue and check out Take Your Pick: Collecting Found Photographs at the University of Michigan Museum of Art!
