My image-making primarily focuses on female identity and representation in American culture, through street photography, portraits, interviews with couples, and figurative painting.
I present my work as a personal history rather than an objective account. Relationships are the main source of my material. I prefer engaging directly with people rather than capturing them anonymously, and when possible, depicting them in a sequence of images over time. Conversations with my subjects often become part of the story, displayed along with my photographs. Painting allows me to be more contemplative and editorial working in a studio environment, while still pursuing the themes that continue to dominate my photography.
My commitment to social change began as a young person growing up during the Cold War, in the shadow of World War II and the Holocaust. As a student in the 1960s, I was influenced by the grassroots movements of the time: civil rights, feminism, and environmentalism. I’ve worked to address these issues throughout my career, and to advance social change and improve the lives of others through my teaching and publishing work. As an executive editor, curator, and design developer, I incorporated the art of friends and colleagues alongside my own in an effort to present visual perspectives as significant cultural commentary. This site showcases selected publishing and education projects in addition to my photography and painting. Please consider viewing my work as the start of a conversation—I welcome your thoughts.
– Roz
Boston Common, 1975
Seattle exhibit, 2008
Providence exhibit, 2017
Women's Yellow Pages, 1978
Rosalyn Gerstein’s interdisciplinary background includes a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and a Master’s degree from the Rhode Island School of Design, incorporating studio work with Harry Callahan in the Department of Photography. She has a PhD in Communication Technology and Culture from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where her Hugh Hampton Young Fellowship involved pioneering research in interactive documentaries at the MIT Media Lab. She founded a non-profit that published The Women's Yellow Pages® Sourcebook series, the first trade paperback to address the women's self-help market, with a readership of over 200,000. She has lectured, published, and exhibited throughout the United States, and taught art and creative expression to students ages 4 to 94. She is a recipient of numerous regional artist grants, including awards from both the Massachusetts and Vermont Councils on the Arts. She lives in Providence, Rhode Island with her husband.