In Our Masthead: Tema Stauffer

Tema Stauffer, Ward Bond, “Wagon Train”, Hollywood, CA, April 2007

It was only a matter of time before Ward Bond was featured in our masthead, even if he ultimately comes in the form of wax figure documentation. Not that I have any specific connection to cowboys, it’s just once presented with the option of being personified by one, I couldn’t let the opportunity pass. Art Fag City’s new noble face comes courtesy of photographer Tema Stauffer, who notably has taken more than one pony related picture. Aside from her recent cowboy series, White Horse 2007 [below], is a favorite, as is the dog art she shot in 1999 (not a pony but I mention it on account of the fact that it’s hilarious!)

Shooting animals, landscapes, and people across the country, it’s hard not to describe the work as American in style, though I do so reluctantly given the imprecise nature of the term. In this case, I mean to describe the plain spoken nature of the photographs; what you see is what you get, in all its glory, grit, and whatever else Stauffer decides to throw in. For the next two weeks at AFC it happens to be Ward Bond, but visit her website and you’ll see a lot more.

Artist Biography

Tema Stauffer is a photographer based in Brooklyn. She graduated from Oberlin College in 1995 and received a MFA in Photography from The University of Illinois at Chicago in 1998. Her work has been shown in galleries and art institutions in Chicago, Minneapolis, San Diego, Philadelphia, New York City and Rouchechoart, France. Her solo exhibition “American Stills” was shown at Jen Bekman Gallery in 2004, where she has also participated in seven group shows. The Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College selected fifteen images from this body of work for their Midwest Photographers Project. Tema has been featured twice on 20×200, (here and here), and she teaches at The School of the International Center of Photography.

Stauffer’s Blog: Palmaire

Tagged as: In Our Masthead, Tema Stauffer