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McMillen, a graduate of Indiana University, also studied photography at Columbia College,
Art Institute of Chicago and The New School. She is a Ragdale Foundation Fellowship Recipient.
Her photographs have appeared in various galleries, the Chicago Sun Times travel section,
a commissioned video, Touching Earth, La Raza, Advertising Age, various neighborhood and
non profit publications, web sites, the SGA Youth & Family Services wall mural, and in the
permanent collection of the SGA Hall Gallery. |
Contact:
773.262.5356
1246 W. Albion
Chicago, Illinois 60626
Email Susan |
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The photographs shown on this site are part of an ongoing series, Sojourner. As I have explored remote corners of the world;
celebrated and joined in ceremonies of the people I have met; shared profoundly moving experiences- in learning about and
from others, I ultimately learned more about myself. Travel has expanded my worldview, and deepened my respect and
understanding of people from other cultures and traditions.
My style is to participate fully and interact extensively with the people I meet, often finding it difficult to leave the role of participant
and move back to photographer/observer. I hope that my connection and interaction with the people I photograph, and the trust
that develops will allow me to in some small measure to help promote understanding through the images I capture.
Almost without exception, I have been greeted with warmth, generosity and extraordinary hospitality. I have met people who live
hard lives, but uncomplicated existence, a simple but profoundly meaningful life. Not minimizing their hardships, I have observed
that often the people in the ˇ§poorestˇ¨ of countries can live unhurried and spiritually rich lives.
Traveling to remote villages in the world, I felt a desire to record the lifestyles of indigenous peoples, those who may be marginalized
or misrepresented and I attempt to help them tell their stories. I know that I may be of the last generation to witness the many rich
customs and traditions practiced, particularly in rural regions around the globe. I have felt compelled to document and attempt to
capture what I have experienced, expressing it through the language of photography.
What is street photography?
"Created out of the energy and chance juxtapositions found in the everyday life of the street. Street photography is at the heart
of what makes photography unique, with its surprising immediacy and its penetrating, offbeat description of a moment in time˙˙˙it
is by turns confrontational and tender, somber and witty, tough and beautiful." The genre of street photography as defined by
Colin Westerbeck, prominent curator-critic, former Associate Photography Critic at the Art Institute of Chicago and co-author with Joel
Meyerowitz of Bystander: A History of Street Photography.
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Exhibit History
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