DORIS ULMANN, Girl with Scrub Board

I’m Venda Ballard, a first year Art History graduate student at the University of Kentucky. I’m proud to be the new curatorial and education intern here at the Art Museum, working with the Curator, Janie Welker, and Deborah Borrowdale-Cox, Director of Education. I’m learning a lot about all of the different aspects of museum work, and gaining valuable experience that will help me as I move forward in my career.

One of the projects I have most enjoyed working on is my research about two very interesting female photographers. Doris Ulmann (1882 – 1934) and Mary Marvin Breckinridge Patterson (1905 – 2002) were both groundbreaking artists. Born to wealthy families, each woman ventured outside of the comforts of her social class to make great strides in photography. Doris Ulmann went from making society portraits to documenting the people of Appalachia with care and grace, while Mary Marvin Breckinridge Patterson became a CBS radio correspondent and photojournalist across Europe during World War II.

I’m excited to be able to contribute my research about these fascinating women to the upcoming exhibition Wide Angle: American Photographs, showcasing work from the Art Museum’s extensive collection.

My internship is supported by the Efroymson Family Fund.