'Mother/Child'

A mother’s deep bond for her children is the subject of an exhibit for Women’s History Month at The Photographer’s Eye Gallery, which will show works by three accomplished artists, Debe Arlook, Christina McFaul and Michele Zousmer.

"Mother/Child" will open March 7 at the nonprofit Photographer’s Eye in Escondido, with the gallery hosting an artists’ reception on March 14, when the three artists will attend a walk-through of their work at 4 p.m. The reception will follow at 5 p.m. The exhibit will end on April 4.

Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and by appointment. Attendance is free.

Debe Arlook will display photographs from "one, one thousand," which documents the relationship between her sister and her sister’s son, an epileptic who requires constant care.

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Christina McFaul will show monochrome images from her book, "Sanctuary in the Wild," which follows her two young sons as they immerse in nature.

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Michele Zousmer will show photos from "MIS[S]UNDERSTOOD," a colorful series about Irish Travelers and the significant role mothers play in this marginalized ethnic group.

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Arlook began documenting the relationship between her sister, Lori Sandler, and her nephew, David, 31, almost by chance. During the throes of the Covid epidemic she drove from her Los Angeles home to Colorado to visit with her sister and nephew. One day she was standing in the kitchen doing what photographers do, shooting images, when a voice in her head said, “You need to make a project about Lori and David.”

As soon as she heard the voice she knew it was true but was unsure how to go about it. As if addressing this doubt, the voice said, “You’ll figure it out,” and in that moment Arlook knew she could rely on her experience. She followed her intuition and documented the trying and loving relationship between the pair. The photos include statements by Lori, a life-long caregiver, explaining some of the content.

Arlook says she hopes her viewers will look beyond Lori’s daily trials and David’s physical challenges, and that the project isn’t designed to evoke sympathy.

“That wasn’t what this story was meant to be,” she says. “This is a story of a mother’s love and dedication to her child’s well-being. Our story is one of countless family care-giver stories around the world. We wanted to show what goes on behind closed doors so others in similar situations would feel seen and not alone. ... It is a heavy story, but an important one.”

Arlook’s project, one, one thousand has been published and shown on three continents, at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical School, and has been presented at a Harvard Medical School conference co-hosted with Boston Children’s Hospital.

McFaul similarly traces the bond between mother and child, as her lens follows her two young sons as they discover nature in a steamy, watery world. Her images have a furtive quality, as if we as viewers are peeking in on private moments in a child’s world of wonder.

McFaul, who is based in San Diego, said chance played a role in her project.

“I didn’t go out with the intention of making the work,” she says, but was taking candid shots of her two boys in a natural setting.

“The first image I made was of my son in natural hot springs, floating and looking up into the tree canopy. Something in his stillness revealed a part of him I had never seen before. He was completely still, appearing to be at one with nature; enveloped and engrossed in wonder and awe.”

She originally intended to create a family book, but as she showed the images to others they were taken by the beauty and mystery. McFaul realized she had captured a universal experience — an initiation with nature. The result is her book, "Sanctuary in the Wild."

“I feel that nature is very much alive, so when we are in reverence to her, you start to see what is normally unseen.”

Michele Zousmer’s discovery of Irish Travellers was born of curiosity, after seeing a reality show in which they were a subject. She went to Ireland and was introduced to them through a colleague, who took Zousmer to a horse festival. While he photographed the horses, Zousmer photographed the Irish Traveller women.

“They were over the top,” says Zousmer, a San Diego resident. “They looked so provocative and inappropriate, and I said what is going on here? These women are amazing, I love them.”

Zousmer has a history of photographing marginalized communities, especially women, and she didn’t need someone to explain what her lens was revealing. The Travellers are an ethnic minority within Ireland who endure social ostracism, and as a result suffer the pains of depression, domestic violence and suicide. Hence the title for this body of work and her book, "MIS[S]UNDERSTOOD."

“When I met these women in Ireland and I saw the hardships they went through, that became my focus,” she says. “That’s what I do, that’s where my project led me, and that’s where the book got made.”

Zousmer has visited the Irish Travellers several times over the past eight years, establishing relationships, each time focusing on families as they grow.

Debe Arlook:
https://www.debearlookphotography.com

Christina McFaul
https://www.christinamcfaul.com

Michele Zousmer
https://www.michelezousmer.com

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