Attending graduate school for photography and art was part of my recovery from drug addiction. I was young and unsure of where my future was headed. In the darkroom, I found a refuge I hadn’t known before—a quiet, red-lit space where time slowed, where the soft sound of running water steadied me, and where I could focus on making something rather than escaping. Photography gave me a way to be present, helping me to repair.
Much later, over 20 years ago, the deeper roots of my struggles emerged when I learned that a family member had been convicted of abusing a teenager. Amazingly, memories resurfaced of this man molesting me as a child and of my mother scaring me afterward by blaming me for what had happened. The confusion, the addiction, the self-destructive choices I’d made in my early life suddenly made sense. I could finally see them through a lens of trauma. Once more, I turned to the arts to assist me through this time by writing poetry and continuing my photography practice.
When I retired from my successful career teaching art in 2014, I felt a desire to share with women navigating homelessness, incarceration, addiction, and systemic neglect how photography had once helped me find my way back to myself. I wanted to create a space where art and photography could be tools for healing.
In 2015, I began Being Seen, a collaborative art, photography, and writing project rooted in that intention. The work is grounded in my belief that being seen and experiencing the calm of creating written and visual works can be transformative. Many of the women I work with carry layered histories of trauma, including physical, emotional, and sexual abuse.
The project evolved from conversations during the workshops I led with groups of women in Brooklyn shelters. Together, we chose to create photographic portraits with their paintings as backdrops and to document their personal narratives to complement the photographs. Being Seen grew to include nonprofits working to provide permanent and transitional housing for women.
For each workshop, I create a portable studio with professional lights and backdrops, transforming the space into a place of creative agency. Within this space, participants determine how they want to be seen—choosing poses, props, and settings that affirm their identities and aspirations. They learn to take and print their own images, incorporating them into visual journals and collages. They explore writing autobiographical poems and narratives through accessible prompts such as “What is something important you want to say about your life?” or “How can you write a one-line autobiography?” These moments often spark powerful self-recognition. As one participant told me, “Learning photography and new art techniques has helped me connect with myself and the world around me. It’s grounding.”
Being Seen, as an extension of my own journey, is shaped by the understanding that art and photography can open a path toward self-recognition and healing. Presented as diptychs, the works pair photographic portraits with personal narratives, connecting individual experiences to broader political realities. Together, the portraits and stories reshape perceptions of feminine strength, furthering compassion and restoring agency to the women featured.
-Ann Rosen
