Instant Memory: The Polaroids of Andy Warhol
“I think the exhibit Jae and I planned captured student attention and brought more student interest to the Meadows, which was one of my goals when planning an exhibit in the Project Space Gallery.” - Anna Jane Storms
Curated by Anna Jane Storms & Jae Tuggle
April 5 – 23, 2022
During the Spring 2022 semester, Centenary student interns Anna Jane Storms, class of 2023, and Jae Tuggle, class of 2025, curated and installed an exhibition of Andy Warhol’s Polaroids and gelatin silver prints from the Meadows Museum’s Permanent Collection.
Curator Statement
Andy Warhol has become one of the most recognizable figures in modern art. The poster child for pop art, Warhol questioned consumerism and celebrity culture through various forms of film photography. One such experiment was through his fervent snapshots of celebrities, everyday objects, and friends at his factory in New York City.
Though technology has evolved, there has been a recent resurgence with young adults’ interest in the instant cameras once frequented in Warhol’s factory. A film camera provides users with a sense of uncertainty and adrenaline, never knowing exactly how a photo will develop. A Polaroid’s white frame and grainy texture infuse our present-day adventures with a romantic nostalgia for simpler times. When we look through a digital camera roll, we see a record of our experiences; but with instant camera prints, it feels as if the memory is still living within the frame.
As you peruse through Warhol’s Polaroids, silver gelatin prints, and photos taken on disposable cameras by Centenary’s own student body, we invite you to consider why the act of film photography can make even the most ordinary things so captivating.
