Draft:Angela Fisher

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Angela Fisher
Angela Fisher (left) and Carol Beckwith (right), Hatchards, London, November 2018
Born
Adelaide, Australia
Alma materUniversity of Adelaide
OccupationPhotographer
Notable workAfrica Adorned', African Ceremonies, Passages, Lamu, African Ark, Dinka

Angela Fisher is an Australian photographer, author, and artist known for her photojournalism documenting the indigenous tribal cultures of Africa, most notably in partnership with the American photographer Carol Beckwith. Between them, Fisher and Beckwith have published many books, and have been featured in many magazines.

Early life and education[edit]

Angela Fisher was born in Adelaide, South Australia, where she studied social sciences at the University of Adelaide.[1]

After graduating, she worked with Indigenous Australian communities. She moved to Kenya in the 1970s where, inspired but the Maasai people, she began to develop a special interest in African jewellery and body decoration.[1]

Career[edit]

Fisher began documenting the adornment practices of traditional Africa groups and the pan-African study she undertook saw her spend 14 years travelling 28,000 miles across the continent. This body of work became the internationally acclaimed book Africa Adorned, published by Abrams and Collins and was also the subject of a 34 page story in National Geographic Magazine.

As well as Africa, Fisher also travelled to Yemen, India (including Ladakh), Afghanistan, and Nepal, documenting the traditions of jewellery designs as well as collecting beads. Her archive of beads, gathered from her travels, was used to create her designed jewellery collections which have been extensively exhibited throughout Europe, the US, Canada, Australia, and Africa.[1]

Collaboration with Carol Beckwith[edit]

Fisher first heard about Carol Beckwith through Fisher's brother Simon in 1974, who piloted a hot air balloon ride that Beckwith was a passenger on in Maasai country. They met during Fisher's exhibition of traditional African jewelry in Nairobi, where they discovered they shared a passion for documenting traditional African cultures. Within one week, they were photographing a Maasai warrior ceremony together.[2][3]

During their decades of collaboration, they produced many books, including They published their pan-African study of the art of body painting for a book entitled Painted Bodies: African Body Painting, Tattoos and Scarification in 2012. They completed the pan-African study of ceremonies with African Twilight (2018).[4]

They have exhibited and lectured at galleries and museums worldwide, including The American Museum of Natural History and The Explorers Club in New York City, The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, and the Royal Geographical Society in London.[1] They have also collaborated on four films about African traditions. Together they have received numerous accolades, including the United Nations Award for Excellence, the Royal Geographical Society's Cherry Kearton Medal, two Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards, The Explorers Club's Lowell Thomas Award, and the WINGS WorldQuest Lifetime Achievement Award.[5]

Awards and honours[edit]

Awards and honours received by Fisher include:[6] [7]

  • 1991: Anisfield-Wolf Book Award in race relations for "outstanding contributions to the understanding of cultural diversity and prejudice”
  • 1999: United Nations Award for Excellence[8]
  • 2009: Book of the Year Award from ForeWord Reviews
  • 2009: Image Award from Sociedad Geográfica Española
  • Cherry Kearton Medal from the Royal Geographical Society of London for their "contribution to the photographic recording of African ethnography and ritual”
  • 2010: Lowell Thomas Award from The Explorers Club honoring men and women who have distinguished themselves in the field of exploration
  • 2010: Lifetime Achievement Award from WINGS WorldQuest honoring the accomplishments of visionary women

Books[edit]

Fisher has published many books, including:[9]

  • 1984 Africa Adorned USA, UK, Germany, France, Italy: Abrams/Collins
  • 1990 African Ark: People and Ancient Cultures of Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa (co-authored with Carol Beckwith and Graham Hancock). USA, UK, France, Germany and Italy: Abrams.
  • 1999 African Ceremonies I (co-authored with Carol Beckwith). USA, UK, France, Germany and Italy: Abrams. United Nations "Award for Excellence" for 1999.
  • 1999 African Ceremonies II (co-authored with Carol Beckwith). USA, UK, France, Germany and Italy: Abrams. United Nations "Award for Excellence" for 1999.
  • 2000 Passages (co-authored with Carol Beckwith). USA and France: Abrams.
  • 2002 African Ceremonies Concise (co-authored with Carol Beckwith). USA and France: Abrams.
  • 2002 Surma (co-authored with Carol Beckwith). Santiago, Chile: Taller Experimental.
  • 2002 Karo (co-authored with Carol Beckwith). Santiago, Chile: Taller Experimental.
  • 2002 Maasai, Himba, Hamar (co-authored with Carol Beckwith). Santiago, Chile: Taller Experimental.
  • 2004 Faces of Africa (co-authored with Carol Beckwith). USA and France: National Geographic Society.
  • 2008 Dinka: 2008 (co-authored with Carol Beckwith). Chile: R.E.Producciones; California, USA: Timeless Art Productions. HP Indigo Award.
  • 2009 Lamu: Kenya's Enchanted Island (co-authored with Carol Beckwith, David Coulson and Nigel Pavitt). USA: Rizzoli. ForeWord Reviews' "Book of the Year" Award for 2009.
  • 2010 Dinka: Legendary Cattle Keepers of Sudan (co-authored with Carol Beckwith). USA: Rizzoli.
  • 2012 Painted Bodies: African Body Painting, Tattoos and Scarification. (co-authored with Carol Beckwith) USA: Rizzoli
  • 2018 African Twilight: The Vanishing Rituals and Ceremonies of the African Continent. (co-authored with Carol Beckwith) USA: Rizzoli

Film and TV[edit]

Films featuring (??) Fisher include:[10]

  • 1986 Way of the Wodaabe
  • 1988 Nomads of Niger
  • 1990 The Painter and the Fighter
  • 1992 Millennium: Tribal Wisdom and the Modern World

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Alad Archived August 7, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ "National Geographic". National Geographic. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  3. ^ wa Gacheru, Margaretta (9 November 2023). "Duo's fascinating five-decade photography journey in over 40 African countries". Business Daily. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  4. ^ "Carol Beckwith & Angela Fisher".
  5. ^ African Ceremonies Archived July 21, 2011, at the Wayback Machine (official site)
  6. ^ "Art First: Carol Beckwith & Angela Fisher".
  7. ^ "Angela Fisher". wingsworldquest.org. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  8. ^ "Diary of African rituals and ceremonies". The East African. 9 January 2024. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  9. ^ "Angela Fisher".
  10. ^ "Art First: Carol Beckwith & Angela Fisher".

External links[edit]



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