Brava

April 2014

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26 brava magazine | april 2014 idA WYmAN tHrougH tHe lens of History imAgine 17-yeAr-OLd Ida Wyman graduating high school in 1943 and casu- ally deciding that since she had to wait to apply to nursing school she might as well take pictures. Blessedly naïve, she didn't realize she was blazing a trail into a male- dominated profession in magazines. Now, after a remarkable freelance career that spanned seven decades, Wyman, once known as "the girl from Life Magazine," has work exhibited in museums throughout the country. Most of her images capture post-World World II America and stand the test of time be- cause they convey something universally human. "I always wanted to know everything. I fi nd other people's stories very inter- esting," she explains. Her photographs distill "other people's stories" into inti- mate, multilayered images, capturing a range of human experiences, including vulnerability. In the end, the viewer has the sense that they are not just stealing glances into someone's life, but that they just shared a wonderful connection with a stranger. –Karin Wolf wyman pHotograpHed by bobbi petersen tHrive portrait of an artist See "Ida Wyman: The Chords of Memory," through May 4. Wisconsin Academy's James Watrous Gallery. 201 State St., Madison. wisconsinacademy.org.

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