Retrospective: Spirit of a People; Presentation by Collette V. Fournier

Visiting artist Collette V. Fournier will present Retrospective: Spirit of a People, an historic embodiment of four decades of her photography archives. Fournier will discuss themes from her projects The Amistad: From Mystic Seaport to Nova Scotia, Post Hurricane Katrina, Travels to West Africa; and her community.

Presentation starts promptly at 1pm, reception to follow.

About Collette V. Fournier

The skills of Collette V. Fournier encompass the best of photography. She has a MFA in the Visual Arts from the Vermont College of Fine Arts and a BS from the Rochester Institute of Technology in Communications and Photographic Illustration.She is currently the staff photographer in the Campus Communications Department, and is an adjunct professor in the Photography Department at Rockland Community College since 1992. Ms. Fournier is a part of the RCC Speaker’s Bureau.

Fournier has worked as a staff photographer for The Rockland Journal-News, The Bergen Record, about...time magazine, and freelanced for The New York Post and has worked in the television industry. Earlier in her career Fournier was selected by the Rochester City School District and the University of Rochester to photograph three educational tours to West Africa.

Fournier is an active member of NYC-based Kamoinge Inc., an African American photography collective. Through Atria Books/Simon & Schuster, Kamoinge published Sweet Breath of Life, A Poetic Narrative of the African American Family with writer Ntozake Shange. Through Kamoinge and The Soros Institute/ Open Society grant, Ms. Fournier’s photos were on view in “Kamoinge: Revealing the Face of Katrina” in NYC at HP at Calumet Gallery and at the College of New Rochelle, Gordon Parks Gallery in May 2012. Kamoinge’s most current highly acclaimed book Timeless to celebrate Kamoinge's 50th year was published in 2015.

Fournier is an active member of the University Photographer’s Association of America (UPAA). She was honored by the American Association of University Women (AAUW) for her photography. Fournier received a Community Service Award from the Rockland County Legislature for the Arts, NAACP, Martin Luther King, Jr. Center and received the 2008 Artist of Award by the County Executive Arts Awards of the Arts Council in Rockland County. Fournier’s photographic achievements were recently recognized in Nyack’s News and Views.