The photographic work in the Kristin Bedford collection derives from three projects undertaken by Bedford from 2012 to 2018. The images explore three very different communities in the United States: two religious communities and their expressions of beliefs and faith, one in North Carolina and one in Pennsylvania, and the culture and identity of Mexican American lowriders in Los Angeles.
The project titled "Be Still: A Storefront Church in Durham" offers portraits of an African American community of worshippers of the Apostolic Deliverance Rebirth Outreach Ministries, in Durham, North Carolina. Images show the congregation as well as their church building.
"The Perfect Picture" project documents the daily lives of the remaining members of the International Peace Mission Movement, a multi-racial religious community founded by Father Divine in New York State in the 1930s, and was photographed at the community's estate, "Woodmont," near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The project title, "Perfect Picture," refers to Father Divine's use of photography as an analogy for creating a perfect life of faith and unity. The color inkjet photographs are accompanied by a variety of related materials (1930s-1990s): publications, photographs, some correspondence, a CD of sermons, memorabilia, and other items. The "Perfect Picture" project offers insights into race relations in the United States; African American religion; religious life in New York State and Pennsylvania; the 20th century civil rights movement; and the utopian philosophies of U.S. religious communities in the 20th century.
The "Cruise Nights" project, undertaken by Bedford in 2014, gives insights into the lowrider community of Los Angeles. The photographs are intense color close-ups of customized car exteriors and interiors, their drivers and passengers, and the lowriders cruising down expansive Los Angeles boulevards; the images emphasize not only the lowriders and their cars, but also the interplay of self-expression, gender, and photography.
All three projects include a set of large color inkjet exhibit prints as well as a duplicate set of smaller 11x17 or 13x19 inch handling prints for research use. A short essay for each project written by the photographer is included in each box of handling prints.
Located at the intersection of aesthetics and social realism, Kristin Bedford's photography explores race, visual stereotypes and communal self-expression. Through long-term engagement with communities, Bedford makes photographs that invite us to reconsider prevalent visual narratives around cultural and spiritual movements.
Bedford's work is held in private and public collections worldwide. Her photographs have appeared in group exhibitions in England, France, Spain and Malta, and in solo shows in the United States. Bedford holds a B.A. from George Washington University, an A.A. from The Fashion Institute of Technology and an M.F.A. from Duke University. Based in Los Angeles, Bedford works on photography projects across the U.S.
