
Mary Ellen Mark, Father and Son. Dallas, Texas, 1987

Mary Ellen Mark, Las Vegas, 1991

Mary Ellen Mark, Christian Bikers, Arizona, 1988
Finding inspiration in the outer fringes of society, photographer Mary Ellen Mark is known for her highly humanistic images. Born in 1940 in Philadelphia, Mark attended the University of Pennsylvania earning a B.F.A in art history and painting and an M.A. in photojournalism. She has won numerous awards for her work, including the Cornell Capa Award from the International Center of Photography in 2001.
Mark has photographed a diverse range of subjects, including homeless families, Bombay prostitutes, Seattle runaways, drug addicts, and the sick. Many of these images have been the basis for books, including Streetwise (Aperture, 1992) and Ward 81 (Simon & Schuster, 1979). In stark contrast, Mark has also photographed actors and directors, shooting primarily on Hollywood movie sets. Most notable is her work on the set of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Apocalypse Now. Many of these images, intended for reproduction in periodicals, have earned Mark recognition in the media world in addition to the art world. Shooting primarily in black and white, Mark provides the viewer a chance to look at other worlds outside their own.
Associated Press, The Great Debate…U.S. Vice President Richard Nixon, in dark suit, gestures as he talks with Soviet Premier Khrushchev, left during their tour of American Exhibition in Moscow this summer, July 24, 1959






