After Hours
The Photographer
BY Wendy Soderburg
Today Staff Writer
Retired since June 30, 2004, from her position as director of faculty equity in UCLA’s Office of Faculty Diversity, Carol Petersen is busier than ever. A resident of Canyon Point in Sunset Village, Petersen teaches a writing class in the Transfer Summer Program and a Fiat Lux class called “Stage and Screen: The Work of UCLA Students.” But it’s her second career as a photographer that has earned her acclaim — and given her a new perspective on life.
Title: Faculty-in-Residence
When Started: “Ten years ago, I went for a month to northern New Mexico to a little valley in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. I went away to be alone, to renew my spirits. I walked over to a local church and started a conversation with a man who was working on two graves. One was the grave of his son, who had committed suicide six years before. God knows where it came from, but I said, ‘I’m a photographer; may I take your picture?’ And out of that came a full, rich, wonderful relationship with him and the community there. Photography came into my life, and I have experienced it as a gift and as a force.”
Current Exhibition: “ ‘Los Enigmas del Tiempo’ (‘Enigmas of Time’) opened Nov. 24 in the Centro Cultural Ollin Yoliztli in Mexico City. It’s a way of reflecting on the arts and on my experience of the arts, both as a photographer and as someone who is entering the work of other artists.”
Permanent Exhibitions: “In Campbell Hall, there is a photo quilt that I made of the protests when students and faculty were opposing the end of affirmative action at the University of California. I have photo composites on each of the first three floors of the Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center. There are a total of 100 photos in DeNeve Commons. Other photos went up recently in Sproul, Rieber and Hedrick."
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Photo by Carol Petersen |
Window reflection of the Tepozteco Mountains |
Inspiration: “I have worked with several artists rooted in Mexico: Mario Avila, a sculptor in Tepoztlán; José Luis Valenzuela, a professor of theater here; and Raúl Anguiano, one of the last of the major Mexican muralists. Last year I went to Thailand with Ham Tran, a UCLA graduate student, who made a film called ‘Journey From the Fall.’ We spent seven weeks working under extraordinary conditions, and I documented the making of his film. I’ve published a book, ‘Journey From the Fall: A Photographer’s Diary,’ which is actually my journal of the experience.”
Future Projects: “My work will continue to focus on issues of equity and justice, and it will involve travel. A writer who saw my work in Mexico wants to see if she can find a location for an exhibit in Spain, and I may be going to South Africa this summer for a consortium meeting on diversity in tertiary and higher education."
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