Clarissa Sligh

Constructing Masculinity. These photographs explore what the world might look like if men did not assume the roles of patriarch, provider, warrior, and macho man. Sligh sought to create images of men who chose to connect to their strength through introspection and contemplation, and/or relationships with friends, family and community.

As Clarissa photographed the men, memories of her father and his role as the family’s photographer began influencing the project. While working to make pictures that contradicted representations of the stereotypical American male, largely defined by being tough, emotionally unexpressive, self-reliant, isolated, and detached behavior, she realized that she was challenging her father’s authority on how a man should see himself.

BOOKS INCLUDED IN:
Enyeart, James L. Photographers, Writers, and the American Scene: Visions of Passage, Arena Editions, 2002, Santa Fe, NM, pp. 172-175, 334.

Willis, Deborah. Reflections in Black: A History of Black Photographers, W.W. Norton, 2000, New York, pp. 307.

Cottman, Michael H. and Deborah Willis, eds. The Family of Black America. Crown Paperbacks, 1996, New York. pp 157, 164.