Barbara Spohr
1955 - 1987
Photographer Barbara Spohr was born in Vancouver in 1955. Barbara studied painting and printmaking at the Alberta College of Art and the Banff School of Fine Art and decided to switch to photography in 1977. Barbara spent a few years living in Nelson, British Columbia before returning to Alberta.
Observing and recording, Barbara was interested in capturing the moments of everyday life and revealing that beauty is always present, even in the ordinary. Without much manipulation after the fact, her photographs narrate and record daily life – seeking out and discovering those small intimate moments that many may overlook. Full of spirit, her photographs are playful and hopeful. The embellished borders of her pieces add to their whimsy and serve as a reminder of Barbara’s eye for beauty and her past as a painter.
Barbara’s photographs have been exhibited in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, Rhode Island, Indiana, Washington DC, and Massachusetts. Her works are held by Esso Resources, the National Film Board of Canada, the Walter Phillips Gallery, the Alberta Provincial Archives, Apeiron Workshops, the Alberta Foundation for the Arts and other public and private collections in Canada and the United States.
Barbara passed away in 1987. The Barbara Spohr Memorial Award was created by the Banff Centre in her honour to help encourage the development of Canadian contemporary photography through financial and creative assistance.
Observing and recording, Barbara was interested in capturing the moments of everyday life and revealing that beauty is always present, even in the ordinary. Without much manipulation after the fact, her photographs narrate and record daily life – seeking out and discovering those small intimate moments that many may overlook. Full of spirit, her photographs are playful and hopeful. The embellished borders of her pieces add to their whimsy and serve as a reminder of Barbara’s eye for beauty and her past as a painter.
Barbara’s photographs have been exhibited in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, Rhode Island, Indiana, Washington DC, and Massachusetts. Her works are held by Esso Resources, the National Film Board of Canada, the Walter Phillips Gallery, the Alberta Provincial Archives, Apeiron Workshops, the Alberta Foundation for the Arts and other public and private collections in Canada and the United States.
Barbara passed away in 1987. The Barbara Spohr Memorial Award was created by the Banff Centre in her honour to help encourage the development of Canadian contemporary photography through financial and creative assistance.