ARTIST

Marion Faller, Santa Claus and Uncle Sam, Festival of Lights, Niagara Falls, NY
Santa Claus and Uncle Sam, Festival of Lights, Niagara Falls

Marion Faller photographed cultural traditions and public displays celebrating seasonal events, folklore, popular religious customs, and displays of patriotism.

Faller was born in Passaic, New Jersey, in 1941. She earned a BA at Hunter College in New York City, and an MFA from the University at Buffalo. She taught both studio and history courses in photography at Hunter, Marymount Manhattan College, Colgate University, and the University at Buffalo. She retired from the University at Buffalo as a professor of photography in 2006.

Faller was awarded fellowships from the New York Foundation for the Arts, CEPA Gallery (Center for Electronic and Photographic Arts), and Light Work. Her photographs are represented in public collections including the George Eastman House, Walker Art Center, Visual Studies Workshop, Light Work, Fenimore Art Museum, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Castellani Art Museum of Niagara University, Buffalo Seminary, and Addison Gallery of American Art.

Faller wrote: “While much of my photography addresses the various ways we celebrate holidays and respond to the changing seasons, I’ve been photographing flags and other patriotic displays since October 2001. I am trying to document both the ordinary and the extraordinarily inventive ways people are approaching the ritual of displaying the flag—following established traditions and creating new ones. Most of my photographs were made in New York (where I’ve spent most of my adult life) and in New Jersey (where I grew up).”