Christina Price Washington, assistant professor of photography

Professor Christina Price Washington is among the artists featured in a new High Museum exhibition, “Underexposed: Women Photographers in the Collection,” on view April 17 – August 1, 2021.

The exhibition marks the centennial of the 19th Amendment and showcases more than 100 women photographers in the High’s permanent collection.

The selected works reflect women photographers who were early pioneers, innovators and experimenters, and professionals who have excelled in photojournalism, advertising and documentary work. The exhibition also highlights women who photograph other women, children and families, as well as contemporary photographers who challenge social constructions of gender, sexuality, and identity.

Christina Price Washington
Light in Purse #4
8” x 10”
Silver Gelatin Print, 2009

Washington’s photograph is an early piece from her series Light in Purse, which began in 2009 and continued until January 2018.

“I made the body of work by daily inserting a light-sensitive photo paper in my purse — a messenger bag,” Washington said. “My daily activities subjected the paper to light exposure and, with bends and folds, would become the document of the day.”

The work was acquired by the High Museum through Atlanta’s Hagedorn Gallery.

Washington received her MA and MFA from Georgia State University and BFA from Atlanta College of Art. She joined the Oglethorpe faculty in 2017. Washington was previously featured in an exhibition at the Atlanta History Museum.

To find out more about the exhibition, please visit the High Museum website.

In January 2018, Washington required back surgery and was unable to carry the messenger bag. Her subsequent series was conceived during her convalescence, while instead studying light on her ceiling. That series was featured in the exhibition Every (ongoing) Day in Santa Monica, CA. (pictured)