PHOTOGRAPHS
Wagner, Catherine F.
U.S. (1953 - )
San Raphael, California
1978
Gelatin silver print on Agfa paper
7 9/16 x 11 9/16 in. (19.2 x 29.4 cm) image size; 10 7/8 x 13 15/16 in. (27.7 x 35.4 cm) sheet size
Joseph and Elaine Monsen Photography Collection, gift of Joseph and Elaine Monsen and The Boeing Company
FA 97.286

San Raphael, California reflects Wagner’s fascination with construction sites and social environments like schools and home interiors. She believes that examining these sites gives clues to the ideological “building blocks” of modern society. Taken in a development located outside of San Francisco, Wagner captures the feel of the suburban landscape. The unidentifiable location could represent any place in America, suggesting our culture’s tendencies towards sameness.

Catherine Wagner has taught at Mills College as a professor of studio art since 1978. Her past works have included black-and-white images of microscopic cellular structures and documentations of architectural and manufactured environments. More recently, her work has focused on the natural sciences, such as the materials of scientific investigation or using MRI technology to expose internal structures of the natural world. -- Label copy for 150 Works of Art, October 1, 2005 to February 26, 2006.